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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE OPEN SECRET; 



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THE BIBLE EXPLAINING ITSELF. 



"But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their 

heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the 

vail shall be taken away." 



by y 

HANNAH WHITALL SMITH, 

AUTHOR OF 

The Secret of a Happy Life," " Frank ; the Record of a Happy Life,' 
"Bible Readings on the Old Testament," etc. 




CHICAGO: 

Fleming H. Eevell, us & 150 Madison stbeet, 

Publisher of Evangelical Literature, 



' \-x 






Copyrighted 1885, by F. H. Revell. 



<K(lionten£&.»- 



CHAPTER. PAGE. 

I. Our Saviour ------ 7 

II. God is Love 17 

III. The Law and the Gospel 31 

IV. Assurance op Faith 43 

V. Keeping Power op God - 59 

VI. Rest op Soul 71 

VII. Consecration 85 

VIII. Be Oarepul por Nothing - 103 

IX. God as our Mother - 117 

X. As a Little Child 139 

XI. The Three F's — Fact, Faith, Feeling - 157 

XII. Our Relationship to God - - - 173 

XIII. Fruit-Bearing 189 

XIV. Five Talents or One - - - - - 207 
XV. God's Ownership ----- 225 

XVI. Resurrection Lipe of the Believer - 245 

XVII. God's Workmanship 263 

XVIII. The Presence of God - - - - 281 

XIX. The "I" Religion Contrasted with the 

"Not I" Religion 302 



Irjfp0(aucfi0r). 



MOW TO PREPSRE BIBLE LESSONS, 



For your study of the Bible you require four things: 
I. A Bible with references, if possible. 
II. A complete Cruden's, or Young's "Analytical Con- 
cordance." 

III. A blank-book that can be ruled in columns. 

IV. An undisturbed desk or table, where you can keep 
the above three things, with pen and ink, always ready. 

Having provided these few necessary things, proceed as 
follows: 

I. Commit yourself, in a few words, to the Lord, asking 
for light and guidance, and expecting to receive them. 
II. Choose a subject appropriate to the occasion. 

III. Find in the Concordance all the words referring 
to this subject, and select from among the texts given, such 
as seem to you best to elucidate it, noting them down under 
their appropriate Headings in your blank-book. 

IV. Read over these selected texts carefully, and make 
a list of the most striking on a separate piece of paper, put- 
ting them in the order that will best develop the lesson. 
Begin this list with a familiar text, and gradually progress 
to those not so well known, letting each successive text 
develop the subject a little more clearly than the last. Close 
the list, if possible, with some practical instance from Bible 

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vi INTRODUCTION. 

history, or some typical illustration. 

V. Having thus prepared your list, open your Bible 
at the first text, and on the margin beside it write the refer- 
ence to the second text on your list. Turn to this second 
one, and write beside it the reference to the third. Turn to 
the third, and write beside it the reference to the fourth. 
And so on through the whole list. Finally, refer back to 
your foundation text, and sum the subject all up. 

VI. On a blank page at the end of your Bible, write 
down an index of all the subjects you have thus studied, 
with a reference at each to the first text on your list con- 
cerning that subject. If you have no blank leaves at the end 
of your Bible, gum the edge of a half sheet of note paper 
and fasten it in. 

VII. If you prefer it, you may write a list of all your 
chain of texts on the margin beside the first text, so as to 
have them all before you at once to choose from. 

VIII. By this plan you will have a complete chain of 
texts on any given subject running all through your Bible 
itself, each verse referring you to the next one you wish to 
read, without having the trouble of loose slips of paper to 
embarrass you. Also, having once studied out a subject, 
you have it all ready for any future use; and by turning to 
your index list, you can at a moment's notice open your 
Bible at the foundation text, and can then turn to one text 
after another through the whole course of your lesson, with- 
out hesitation or embarrassment. 

HANNAH WHITALL SMITH, 

GERMANTOWN, PA. 



BIBLE READINGS, 



SUBJECT— OUR SAVIOUR. 

Foundation Text. — And the angel said unto them, 
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of 
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto 
you is born this day in the city of David a 
Saviour, ivhich is Christ the Lord, — Luke 2: 10, 11. 

Notice that it is a " Saviour," not a Helper; that 

is, One who saves, not merely One who offers to 

help us save ourselves ; but One who knows our 

helplessness, and who therefore declared that He 

had come to seek and to save. 

"For I am with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee, 
saith the Lord."— Jer. 15:20. 

" For the Son of Man is come to save that which was 
lost,"— Matt. 18:11. 

Who is this Saviour ? 

" For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy 
Saviour." 

"I, even I, am the Lord, and beside Me there is no 
Saviour." — Isaiah 43:3, 11. 

"And there is no God else beside Me, a just God and a 
Saviour; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me and be ye 
saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is 
none else." — Isaiah 45:21,22. 

The God who created us, is the God who saves 
us. Not another God, for there is none beside 
Him, but the very God our Creator Himself. 
Some are apt to think of our Creator and our 
Saviour as two Gods, with interests which are not 

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8 BIBLE READINGS. 

identical. But we are told as plainly as words 
can tell it, that the Creator is also the Saviour, and 
there is "none beside." 

" To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, 
dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." — Jude: 
25. 

" And thou shalt know that I, the Lord, am thy Saviour 
and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." — Isa. 60:16. 

" For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, be- 
cause we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all 
men, specially of those that believe." — I Tim. 4:10. 
_ " And without controversy, great is the mystery of god- 
liness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, 
seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in 
the world, received up into glory." — I Tim. 3:16. 

Since, therefore, it is God, the Almighty God, 
the Creator of heaven and earth, who is our 
Saviour, there can be no question about His abil- 
ity to save us, and we may rest our cases in His 
care without an anxiety or a fear. 

From what does He save us? 

I. He saves us from our sins. 

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His 
name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins." 
—Matt. 1:21. 

" Unto you first, God having raised up His Son Jesus, 
sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you 
from his iniquities." — Acts 3:26. 

" Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us 
from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, 
zealous of good works." — Titus 2:14. 

II. He saves us from our temptations. 

" For in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted* 
He is able to succor them that are tempted." — Heb. 2:18. 

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is 
common to man; but God is faithful, who wiU not suffer 
you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the 
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able 
to bear it."— I Cor. 10:13. 

III. He saves us from our cares. 



OUR SAVIOUR. 



" Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. 
—I Peter 5:7. 

"Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer 
and Bupplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be 
made known unto God. And the peace of God, which 
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and 
minds through Christ Jesus. — Phil. 4:6,7. 

IV. He saves us from our troubles. 

"Thou art my hiding-place; Thou shalt preserve me 
from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of 
deliverance." — Ps. 32:7. 

V. He saves us from our bondage to sin and 
the devil. 

" Thus saith the Lord * * * For now will I break his 
yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder." — 

Nahuml:13. 

"O, Lord, truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and 
the son of Thy handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds." — Ps. 
116:16. 

VI. He saves us from our enemies. 

" As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which 
have been since the world began: that we should be saved 
from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to re- 
member His holy covenant; the oath which He sware to 
our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us that we, 
being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve 
Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, 
all the days of our life."— Luke 1:70-75. 

VII. He saves us from our fears. 

" I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me 
from all my fears." — Ps. 34:4. 

" Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for 
the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the destruction that 
wasteth at noonday." — Ps. 91:5, 6. 

" Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh 
and blood, He also Himself, likewise took part of the same; 
that through death He might destroy him that had the 
power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who 
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bond- 
age."— Heb. 2:14, 15. 

This does not mean that we shall have no sins 

to tempt us, no cares to burden us, no enemies to 



10 BIBLE READINGS. 

attack us, no sorrows to grieve us; but that out 
of them all, and in them all, we shall be saved 
with an interior salvation that will make us "more 
than conquerors" continually. 

Whom does He save ? 

He saves those who are lost. 

" For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that 
which was lost." — Luke 19:10. 

"For thus saith the Lord God; Behold I, even I, will both 
search my sheep, and seek tbeni out. As a shepherd seeketh 
out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are 
scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them 
out of all places where they have been scattered in the 
cloudy and dark day. I will seek that which was lost, and 
bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up 
that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was 
sick."— Ezek. 34:11,12.16. 

" And He spake this parable unto them, saying, What 
man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of 
them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, 
and go after that which is lost, until he find it?" — Luke 
15:3,4. 

He saves sinners, bad people who feel them- 
selves to be unworthy. 

" This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of 
whom I am chief." — I Tim. 1:15. 

" I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
ance."— Luke 5 :32. 

" And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in 
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Phari- 
see, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and 
prayed thus with himself: God, I thank Thee that I am not 
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as 
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all 
that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would 
not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 
his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell 
you, this manwent down to his house justified rather than 
the other, for every one that exalteth himself shall be 
abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."— 
Luke 18:9-14. 



OUR SAVIOUR. 11 



He saves the helpless. 

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; 
for My strength is made perfect in weakness." — II Cor. 
12:9. 

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have 
no might He increaseth strength." — Isaiah 40:29. 

He saves the sick. 

"But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They 
that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." 
—Matt. 9:12. 

He saves the world. 

"And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for 
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." — I 
John 2:2. 

" And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent 
the Son to be the Saviour of the world." — I John 4:14. 

"Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have 
heard Him ourselves, and we know that this is indeed 
the Christ, the Saviour of the world." — John 4:42. 

How did He announce His own mission when 

on earth? 

" And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought 
up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue 
on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there 
was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. 
And when He had opened the book, He found the place 
where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the 
poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to 
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of 
sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And He closed 
the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat 
down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue 
were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, 
This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." — Luke 
4:16-21. 

When does He save ? 

He saves now. • 

"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the 
day of salvation."— II Cor. 6:2. 

" God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in 
trouble."— Ps. 44:1. 



12 BIBLE READINGS. 

How does He save ? 

By His own mighty power, and out of His own 
heart of love and mercy. 

" For they got not the land in possession by their own 
sword, neither did their own arm save them : but Thy right 
hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, be- 
cause Thou hadst a favor unto them." — Ps. 44:3. 

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done; but 
according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of 
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." — Titus iii:5. 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not 
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any 
man should boast." — Eph. 2:8,9. 

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand 
still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show 
to you to-day : for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, 
ye shall see them again no more forever. The Loed shall 
fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." — Exodus 
14:13,14. 

Why does He save ns? 

Because He loves us. 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only be- 
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life." — John 3:16. 

" In this was manifested the love of God toward us, be- 
cause that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, 
that we might live through Him." — I John 4:9. 

" Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, 
not according to our works, but according to His own pur- 
pose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before 
the world began; but is now made manifest by the appear- 
ing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, 
and hath brought life and immortality to light through the 
gospel."— II Tim. 1:9,10. 

Also, He saves us in order to show forth to the 

universe the exceeding riches of His grace, and 

of His wisdom and His power. 

" But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love where- 
with He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath 
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; 
and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come He 



OUR SAVIOUR. 13 



might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kind- 
ness toward us through Christ Jesus." — Eph. 2:4-7. 

" To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers 
in heavenly places might be known, by the church, the mani- 
fold wisdom of God."— Eph. 3:10. 

What is our part in this salvation ? 

I. Surrender; II. Trust; III. Obedience. 

I. Surrender. 

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Eesist the devil 
and he will flee from you." — James 4:7. 

" O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh 
come."— Ps. 65:2. 

" Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your sonil 
shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 
even the sure mercies of David." — Isa. 55 :3. 

" Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and 
I will give you rest." — Matt. 11 :28. 

" I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit 
my cause." — Job 5:8. 

" Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon 
Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and 
the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto 
the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our 
God, for He will abundantly pardon." — Isa. 55:6,7. 

" Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye sepa- 
rate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I 
will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall 
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." — 
II. Cor. 6:17,18. 

" Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of 
God, commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing 
as unto a faithful Creator."— I Pet. 4:19. 

II. Trust. 

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he 
that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is 
a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." — Heb. 11 :6. 

" Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and 
He shall bring it to pass." — Ps. 37:5. 

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will 
remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought 
down and fallen; but we are risen, and stand upright." — 
Ps. 20:7,8. 

"And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them; He 
shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because 
they trust in Him."— Ps. 37:40. 



14 BIBLE READINGS. 



"They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, 
which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." — Ps. 125:1. 

" But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy 
mouth, and in thy heart; that is the word of faith, which we 
preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised 
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart 
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth con- 
fession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, 
Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For 
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for 
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. 
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be 
saved."— Eom. 10:8-13. 

" And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even 
so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believ- 
eth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." — John 
3:14.15. 

" Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me 
hath everlasting life." — John 6 :47. 

"And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one 
which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have ever- 
lasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." — John 
6:40. 

" To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His 
name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission 
of sins." — Acts 10:43. 

" Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that 
though this man is preaching unto you the forgiveness of 
sins: and by Him, all that believe are justified from all 
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of 
Moses."— Acts 13:38, 39. 

III. Obedience. 

" Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants 
to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of 
sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." — Bom. 
6:16. 

" Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of 
My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that 
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and 
in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done 
many wonderful works ? And then will I profess unto them, 
I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. 
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth 
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house 
upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, 
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell 



OUR SAVIOUR. 15 



not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that 
heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be 
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the 
sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great 
was the fall of it."— Matt. 7:21-27. 

" But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiv- 
ing your own selves." — James 1:22. 

" What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he 
hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? Even 
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. For as 
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is 
dead also."— James 2:14, 17, 26. 

No one of these three things — surrender, trust, 
or obedience, will do without the others. We 
must not only yield ourselves up utterly to God, 
but we must also trust Him, and we must further- 
more walk in obedience to Him. I believe myself 
that it is impossible to do one fully without doing 
the others also, for they are inseparably connected 
in the very nature of things. We can not yield 
unless we trust, and we can not trust unless we 
both yield and obey. A fire without heat is an 
impossibility in the nature of things, and faith 
without works is an impossibility also. There is 
no contradiction therefore between the teachings 
of Paul and James. They are only developing 
different sides of the same truth, and equally 
essential sides also. 

What must we do to make Christ our Saviour? 

We can do nothing to make Him our Saviour, 
for He is already horn our Saviour. The 
announcement of the angels was, " Unto you is 
born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord." All we can do, there- 



16 BIBLE READINGS. 

fore, is to believe this announcement and to 
receive Him as our Saviour. 

When a little brother is born into a family the 
other children do not ask, " What shall we do to 
make him our brother," but they announce joy- 
fully to all who enter the house, " Oh, we have a 
little brother! We have a new little brother! 
Don't you want to see him ?" 

Let us be like them in the simplicity of our 
faith; and, believing the declaration that unto 
us has been born a Saviour, let us tell every one 
the joyful news. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



ii. 

SUBJECT-GOD IS LOVE. 

Foundation Text. — He that lovethnotknoivethnotGod; 
for God is love. — I John 4:8. 

Notice that it does not say merely that God is 
loving, but that God is love. That is, it is His 
very nature, or essence. It is not merely one of 
His attributes, but it is Himself. Therefore, all 
that He does is from the root of love ; and we must 
believe this, no matter how it may look, because 
it could not, in the very nature of things, be other- 
wise. 

" Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
upcm us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore 
the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." — 
I John 3:1. 

We are to behold the "manner of love;" that 

is, the sort or kind of love. A few questions will 

help us to do this. 

I. "When did God begin to love us? 

II. Why does He love us ? 

III. What manner of love is it? 

IV. How much does He love us? 

V. How can we know that He loves us? 

VI. What return can we render for His love? 

2 (17) 



18 BIBLE READINGS. 



We will consider these questions one by one. 

I. When did God begin to love us ? 

" The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I 
have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lov- 
ing-kindness have I drawn thee." — Jer. 31:3. 

" According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foun- 
dation of the world, that we should be holy, and without 
blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the 
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according 
to the good pleasure of His will." — Eph. 1:4, 5. 

He was always love, and therefore He has always 

loved us. His love has no beginning, because it 

is from everlasting ; and it has no ending, because 

it is to everlasting. 

" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trib- 
ulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, 
or peril or sword? * * * * For I am persuaded, that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate 
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 
— Kom. 8:35, 38, 39. 

Some people think God loves us because we 

love Him, and that He does not begin to love us 

until we first love Him. But in the very nature 

of things, it must be exactly the other way. 

" Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved 
us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. * 

* * We love Him, because He first loved us." — I John 
4:10, 19. 

Our great need therefore is to find out that He 

loves us, and our question of one another or of 

our own hearts, ought to be, not, "Do you love 

God?" but, "Do you know that God loves you?" 

II. Why does God love us? 

"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and 
every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He 



GOD IS LOVE. 19 



that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love." — I John 
4:7, 8. 

God loves us because He is love, and can not 

help loving. It is His nature to love ; just as the 

sun is light, and can not help shining, because it 

is its nature to shine. 

" The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, 
because ye were more in number than any people; for ye 
were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved 
you, and because He would keep the oath which He had 
sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out 
with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of 
bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt." — 
Deut. 7:7, 8. 

He loves us just because He does love us; be- 
cause He created us, and we belong to Him; for 
a creator always loves the thing he creates. 

" But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while 
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."— Bom. 5:8. 

" But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love where- 
with He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath 
quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved;) 
and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come 
He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kind- 
ness toward us through Christ Jesus. "—Eph. 2:4-7. 

God does not wait for us to become good to love 
us. He loves us while we are sinners. He hates 
our sin, but He loves us. Just as mothers do. 
Sometimes children are taught, " God will not love 
you if you are naughty." But this is a libel 
against our God, who is love. No mother would 
permit such a thing to be said against herself, as 
that she did not love her child when it was naughty. 
It is her very love for the little naughty darling 



20 BIBLE READINGS. 

that nerves her to punish it, in order that she may 
make it good. 

" And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh 
unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chas- 
tening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him; 
for ■whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth 
every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God 
dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the 
father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, 
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected 
us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather 
be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For 
they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleas- 
ure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His 
holiness."— Heb. 12:5-10. 

Our sinfulness only brings out a fresh expres- 
sion of His love in the form of chastening. It is 
only those we love whom we care to see perfect. 
George Macdonald says, "Nothing is so inex- 
orable as love, for it must have its loved ones 
perfect." 

II- What manner of love is it? That is, how 
or in what way does God love us ? 

1. As a Creator. 

2. As a Eedeemer. 



3. 


As a Father. 


4. 


As a Mother. 


5. 


As a Friend. 


6. 


As a Brother. 


7. 


As a Shepherd. 


8. 


As a Bridegroom. 


9. 


As He loves Himself. 



GOD IS LOVE. 21 



1. As a Creator. 

"But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, 
and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have 
redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art 
mine. When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with 
thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; 
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; 
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." — Isa. 43:1, 2. 

"Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my 
servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant; O Israel, 
thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a 
thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud thy sins; 
return unto me; for I have redeemed thee." — Isa. 44:21, 22. 

We all know how much we delight in anything 

we create ; how we like to show it to our friends, 

and to look at it ourselves ; how tender we are of 

its safety, and how jealous we are of any criticisms 

upon it. And this joy of ours in creation and 

ownership will help us to understand and believe 

in the love of our Creator for us who are " the work 

of His hands. 

2. He loves us as our Redeemer. 

"I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the 
praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath 
bestowed on us, and the great goodness towards the house of 
Israel, which He hath bestowed on them according to His 
mercies, and according to the multitude of His loving kind- 
nesses^ For He said, Surely they are my people, children 
that will not lie; so He was their Savior. In all their afflic- 
tion He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved 
them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He 
bare them, and carried them all the days of old." — Isa. 63:7-9. 

" For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying 
unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm 
Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, 
and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."— Isa. 41:13, 14. 

" Into Thine hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed 
me, O Lord God of truth." — Ps. 31 :5. 

" Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it 
in the isles afar off, and say: He that scattered Israel will 
gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For 



22 BIBLE HEADINGS. 

the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the 
hand of Him that was stronger than he." — Jer. 31:10,11. 

3. He loyes us as a Father. 

" He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and 
the rock of my salvation." — Ps. 89:26. 

" And His name shall be called . . . the everlasting 
Father."— Isa. 9:6. 

" They shall come with weeping, and with supplications 
will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of 
waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble : for 
I am a father to Israei, and Ephraim is my first-born." — 
Jer. 31:9. 

" Like as a Father pitieth His children, so the Lord piti- 
eth them that fear Him."— Psalm 103:13. 

" And he arose and came to his father. But when he was 
yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, 
and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son 
said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in 
thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But 
the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and 
pnt it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his 
feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let ms 
eat, and be merry : for this my son was dead, and is alive 
again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be 
merry."— Luke 15:20-24. 

Our Lord gave this last divine picture of what 

a father is, in reply to the Pharisees and Scribes, 

who murmured, saying, " This man receiveth 

sinners, and eateth with them." And in this reply 

He silenced forever every unbelieving thought 

that could make God out to be less tender than 

the human fathers He has made. 

4. God loves us as a Mother. 

" As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort 
you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." — Isa. 66:13. 

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth 
into singing, O mountains ; for the Lord hath comforted His 
people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted. But Zion 
said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgot- 
ten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she 
should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, 



GOD IS LOVE. 23 



they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have 
graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are con- 
tin ually before me."— Isa. 49:13-16. 

5. God loves us as a Friend. 

" Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down 
his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatso- 
ever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; 
for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth, but I have 
called you friends, for all things that I have heard of my 
Father I have made known unto you." — John 15:13-15. 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man 
speaketh unto his friend." — Exod. 33:11. 

"But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have 
chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend." — Isa. 41:8. 

"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham 
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness; 
and he was called the friend of God." — Jas. 2:23. 

" A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and 
there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." — 
Prov. 18:24. 

All that our highest ideal of friendship implies, 
must be ours in a friendship with God. 

6. He loves us as a Brother. 

" For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to 
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the 
first-born amoug many brethren." — Horn. 8:29. 

" For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified 
are all of one; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them 
brethren; Saying I will declare thy name unto my brethren, 
in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. For- 
asmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. 
He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through 
death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that 
is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death 
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took 
not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the 
seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved Him 
to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merci- 
ful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to 
make reconciliation for the sins of the people: for in that 
He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to suc- 
cour them that are tempted."— Heb. 2:11-18. 



24 BIBLE READINGS. 

For the divine declaration of what brotherly- 
love is, see two or three passages. 

" Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of 
another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous : not render- 
ing evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise bless- 
ing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should 
inherit a blessing."— I Pet, 3:8, 9. 

" If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed 
and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things 
which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" — James 
2:15, 16. 

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down 
His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the 
brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his 
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion 
from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" — I John 
2:16, 17. 

What God tells us we ought to be as brethren, 

that He surely must be Himself; and in His 

brotherhood therefore, we find an assurance of 

infinite love and care. 

7. He loves us as a Shepherd. 

" Know ye that the Lord He is God : it is He that hath 
made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the 
sheep of His pasture." — Ps. 100:3. 

" For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, 
and the sheep of His hand." — Ps. 95:7. 

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh 
me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the 
still waters."— Ps. 23:1, 2. 

'' I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his 
life for the sheep. The hireling tieeth, because he is an hire-i 
ling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, 
and know my sheep, and am known of mine." — John 10:11-12. 

" He shall'feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather 
the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and 
shall gently lead those that are with young." — Isa. 40:11. 

8. He loves us as a Bridegroom. 

"Thoushaltno more be termed Forsaken; neither shall 
thy land any more be termed desolate: but thou shalt be 



GOD IS LOVE. 25 



called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delight- 
eth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young 
man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as 
the bridegroom rejoiceth over the t bride, so shall thy God 
rejoice over thee." — Isa. 62:4, 5. 

" He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend 
of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth 
greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this My joy there- 
fore is fulfilled.— John 3 :29. # 

" Then came to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do 
we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? And 
Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber 
mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the 
days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from 
them, and then shall they fast."— Matt. 9:14, 15. 

" Wherefore, my brethren, ye are also become dead to the 
law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to 
another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we 
should bring forth fruit unto God." — Horn. 7 :4. 

" And there came unto me one of the seven angels which 
had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked 
with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the 
Lamb's wife."— Kev. 21:9. 

No words are needed to tell us of a bride- 
groom's joy over his bride ; and yet it is only a 
faint picture of God's joy over us! 

9. He loves us as He loves Himself. 

" Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and 
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He 
might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having 
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy 
and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as 
their own bodies: he that loveth his wife loveth himself. For 
no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and 
cherisheth it; even as the Lord the church: for we are mem- 
bers of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this 
cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and be joined 
unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great 
mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church." — 
Eph. 5:25-32. 

IV. How much does He love us? 
" May be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the 



26 BIBLE READINGS. 

breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the 
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be 
filled with all the fullness of God."— Eph. 3:18, 19. 

Notice that it is a love which "passeth knowl- 
edge;" that all we know or can imagine of earthly 
love can not make ns understand the height, and 
depth, and length, and breadth of this infinite, 
everlasting, unchangeable, Divine love. 

" And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare 
it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in 
them, and I in them." — John 17:26. 

" And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them ; 
that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and 
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that 
the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved 
them as thou hast loved me." — John 17:22, 23. 
_ " As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; con- 
tinue ye in my love." — John 15:9. 

Notice the words "as" and "so" in these pas- 
sages ; and believe the wondrous fact they express ; 
even though you may not be able to comprehend 
it. As the hymn expresses it — 

" How thou canst think so well of us, 
And be the God thou art, 
Is darkness to my intellect, 
But sunshine to my heart." 

Read the Divine description of love in I Cor. 

13:1-13, and apply each word of it to Christ, as 

showing of what sort His love is. 

V. How can we know that He loves us ? 

" In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because 
that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that 
we might live through Him." — I John 4:9. 

" Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid 
down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives 
for the brethren." — I John 3:16. 

" For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begot- 
ten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 



GOD IS LOVE. 27 



but have everlastiug life. For God sent not His Son into 
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through 
Him might be saved." — John 3:15, 16. 

God's love was not caused by the work of Christ, 
it was simply "manifested;" and all we can do is 
to "perceive" it. In spiritual things we perceive 
by believing. Our friends may love us, and may 
tell us so a thousand times, and may give us con- 
tinual proofs of love, but unless we believe in their 
love, we shall never rea]ly "perceive" it nor pos- 
sess it. Faith is necessary for the possession of 
human love, and faith is equally necessary for the 
possession of Divine love. God gives us His love 
always, but we can not perceive and possess it 
unless we believe it. This is in the very nature 
of things. 

VI. What return can we render for His love ? 
We can believe in it. 

" What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits 
towards me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon 
the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord 
now in the presence of all His people." — Ps. 116:12-14. 

"How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore 
the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy 
wings."— Ps. 36:7. 

" And we have known and believed the love that God 
hath to us."— I John 4:16. 

The first return for love is to believe in it, and 

accept its goodness. Nothing grieves love so much 

as a want of trust on the part of its beloved one. 

You wound the Lord more by your doubts of His 

love, than by all your other sins together. If a 

naughty child should let in doubts of its mother's 



28 BIBLE READINGS, 

love, this would be the hardest of all to bear. Lei 
our uttermost confidence, then, be the first return 
we make to this wondrous love of God. 
"We love Him because He first loved us." — I John 4:19. 

His love thus known and believed in, will draw 
out ours in return. 

He wins our love. Just as a bridegroom wins 
the love of his bride by assurances and proofs of 
his love for her, so does our God win ours. We 
Love Him because He first loved us. Then will 
follow obedience. 

" And this is love, that we walk after His commandments." 
—2 John 6. 

" For this is the love of God, that we keep His command- 
ments: and His commandments are not grievous." — X 
John 5:3. 

" Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he 
will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we 
will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that 
loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which 
ye hear, is not mine, but the Father's, which sent me." — John 
14:21, 22. 

Love is not talk but action. If we love we will 
obey. Obedience is always the test of love. It 
is easy to talk about our love to God, and even 
to work ourselves up into an emotion of love, but 
unless it stands the test of " walking in His com- 
mandments," it is nothing but an unreal senti- 
mentality. 

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have bold- 
ness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in 
this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth 
out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth, is not 
made perfect in love." — I John 4:17, 18. 

Let us ask ourselves the searching question as 



GOD IS LOVE. 29 



to whether all fear that hath torment has been 
cast out of our hearts. Do we so " know and 
believe the love that God hath to us," as to be 
delivered from all fear, and care, and anxiety; 
and to have our hearts kept in perfect peace 
because we trust in Him ? 

GOD IS LOVE. 

Like a cradle, rocking, rocking, 

Silent, peaceful, to and fro; 
Like a mother's sweet looks dropping 

On the little face below; 
Hangs the green earth, swinging, turning, 

Jarless, noiseless, safe and slow; 
Falls the light of God's face bending 

Down, and watching us below. 

And as feeble babes that suffer, 

Toss and cry, and will not rest, 
Are the ones the tender mother 

Holds the closest, loves the best; 
So when we are weak and wretched, 

By our sins weighed down, distressed, 
Then it is that God's great patience 

Holds us closest, loves us best. 

Oh great heart of God, whose loving 

Can not hindered be, nor crossed; 
Will not weary, will not even 

In our death itself be lost! 
Love divine ! of such great loving 

Only mothers know the cost, 
Cost of love, that, all love passing, 

Gave itself to save the lost! 



BIBLE READINGS. 



in. 

SUBJECT— THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. 

Foundation Texts : — " For if that first covenan t had been 
faultless, then should no place have been sought 
for the second. For finding fault with them, He 
saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, 
when I will make a new covenant with the house 
of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not ac- 
cording to the covenant that I made with their 
father's, in the day when I took them by the hand 
to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because 
they continued not in my covenant, and I re- 
garded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the 
covenant that I will maize with the house of Is- 
rael after those days, saith the Lord, ; I will put 
my laivs into their mind, and write them in their 
hearts : and I will be to them a Ood, and they 
shall be to me a people : and they shall not teach 
every man his neighbour, and every man his 
brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall 
Jcnoiv me, from the least to the greatest. For I 
will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and 
their sins and their iniquities will I remember 
no more. In that He saith, A new covenant, He 
hath made the first old. Now that ivhich decay- 
eth and waxeth old is ready to vanish aivay." — 
Heb. 8:7-13. 

The t; old covenant," which is here declared to 

have been put away in order to make room for a 

•'new covenant," is the covenant of an outward 

law, which in the very nature of things waxes old 

and vanishes away before the coming of the new 

covenant of an inward life. That is, as long as a 

(31) 



32 BIBLE READINGS. 

man is a thief at heart, he needs an outward law 
to keep him from stealing; but as soon as he 
becomes honest at heart, he no longer needs the 
outward law. 

" But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. * 
* * * But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- 
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: 
against such there is no law." — Gal. 5:18, 22, 23. 

The "old covenant," therefore, proceeds on the 
principle of work and wages ; so much work, so 
much wages, no more, no less. 

The " new covenant" on the contrary proceeds 
on the principle of life and fruit. We love Him 
because He first loved us, and therefore we serve 
Him. He has bestowed upon us a new life from 
Himself, and the fulfilling of the law is simply the 
fruit of the new life thus given. 

" And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to 
walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and 
do them."— Ezek. 36:27. 

Christ is called the " Mediator of the new 
covenant;" and the covenant is called the "new 
testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
This therefore is the covenant under which we 
live, even the "power of an endless life.' 

"And it is yet far more evident: for that after the simili- 
tude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, who is 
made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after 
the power of an endless life. For there is verily a disannul- 
ling of the commandment going before for the weakness and 
unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing peif ect, 
but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we 
draw nigh unto God. 1 ' — Heb. 7:15-19. 



THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. 



83 



The following contrasts will show what is the 
difference between these two covenants: 
The law says, This do and thou shalt live. 
The gospel says, Live, and then thou shalt do. 



THE LAW. 

" For Moses describeth the 
righteousness which is of the 
law, That the man which do- 
eth those things shall live by 
them."— Kom. 10:5. 

" And the law is not of 
faith; but, The man that do- 
eth thera shall live in them." 
—Gal. 3:12. 



THE GOSPEL. 

" For the law of the Spirit 
of life in Christ Jesus hath 
made me free from the law 
of sin and death. For what 
the law could not dp, in that 
it was weak through the 
flesh, God, sending His own 
Son in the likeness of einMl 
flesh, and for sin, condemned 
sin in the flesh: that the 
righteousness of the law 
might be fulfilled in us, who 
walk not after the flesh, but 
after the Spirit."— Bom. 8:2-4. 

The law says, Pay me that thou owest. 

The gospel says, 1 frankly forgive thee all. 



THE LAW. 

"And if a man cause a ble- 
mish in his neighbour; as he 
hath done, so shall it be done 
to him; Breach for breach, 
eye for eye, tooth for tooth : 
as he hath caused a blemish 
in a man, so shall it be done 
to him again." — Lev. 24: 
19, 20. 

"And thine eye shall not 
pity ; but life shall go for life, 
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, 
hand for hand, foot for foot." 
Deut. 19:21. 

" Ye have heard that it hath 
been said, An eye for an eye, 
and a tooth for a tooth." — 
Matt. 5:38. 

"But the same servant 

3 



THE GOSPEL. 

" And Jesus answering said 
unto him, Simon, I have 
somewhat to say unto thee. 
And he saith, Master, say on. 
There was a certain creditor 
which had two debtors: the 
one owed five hundred pence, 
and the other fifty. And when 
they had nothing to pay, he 
frankly forgave them both. 
Tell me therefore, which of 
them will love him most? 
Simon answered and said, I 
suppose he to whom he for- 
gave most. And he said unto 
him, Thou hast rightly 
judged."— Luke 7:40-43. 

" Then said Jesus, Father, 
forgive them; for they know 



34 



BIBLE READINGS. 



went out, and found one of 
his fellow servants, which 
owed him a hundred pence: 
and he laid hands on him, and 
took him by the throat, say- 
ing, Pay me that thou owest." 
—Matt. 18:28. 



not what they do." — Luke 
23:34. 

"Be it known unto you 
therefore, men and brethren, 
that though this man is 
preached unto you the for- 
giveness of sins : and by Him, 
all that believe are justified 
from all things, from which 
ye could not be justified bv 
the law of Moses."— Acts 13: 
38, 39. 



The law says, Make you a new heart and a new 
spirit 

The gospel says, A new heart ivilll give you and 
a new spirit will I put within you. 



THE LAW. 

"Cast away from you all 
your transgressions, whereby 
ye have transgressed; and 
make you a new heart and a 
new spirit: for why will ye 
die, O house of Israel." — 
Ezek. 18:31. 



THE GOSPEL. 
" Then will I sprinkle clean 
water upon you, and ye shall 
be clean : from all your filthi- 
ness, and from all your idols, 
will I cleanse you. A new 
heart also will I give you, and 
a new spirit will I put within 
you: and I will take away the 
stony heart out of your flesh, 
and I will give you an heart 
of flesh."— Ezek. 36:25, 26. 



The law says, Tliou shalt love God. 
The gospel says, God loves us. 



THE LAW. 

"And thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thine 
heart, and with all thy soul, 
and with all thv might." — 
Deut.6:5. 



THE GOSPEL. 

"Herein is love, not that 
we loved God, but that He 
loved us, and sent His Son 
to be the rjropitiation for our 
sins. * * We love Him, 
because He first loved us." — 
I John 4:10, 19. 



THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. 



The law pronounces curses. 
The gospel announces blessings. 



THE LAW. 

" For as many as are of the 
works of the law are under 
the curse : for it is written, 
Cursed is every one that con- 
tinueth not in all things 
which are written in the book 
of the law to do them." — Gal. 
3:10. 



THE GOSPEL. 
" Even as David also de- 
scribeth the blessedness of 
the man unto whom God im- 
puteth righteousness with- 
out works, saying, Blessed 
are they whose iniquities are 
forgiven, and whose sins are 
covered. Blessed is the man 
to whom the Lord will not 
impute sin." — Kom. 4:6-8. 



The law deals with wages. 
The gospel bestows gifts. 



THE LAW. 

"The wages of sin is death." 
Eom. 6:23. 

" Now to him that worketh 
is the reward not reckoned 
of grace, but of debt." — 
Rom. 4:4. 



THE GOSPEL. 



The go>psT demands holiness. 
The gospel gives holiness. 



" The gift of God is eternal 
life through Jesus Christ our 
Lord."— Rom. 6:23. 

" To him that worketh not, 
but believeth on Him that 
justifieth the ungodly, his 
faith is counted to him for 
righteousness." — Rom. 4:5. 



THE LAW. 

" Speak unto all the con- 
gregation of the children of 
Israel, and say unto them, 
Ye shall be holy: for I the 
Lord your God am holy." — 
Lev. 19:2. 

" And the Lord command- 
ed us to do all these statutes, 
to fear the Lord our God, for 
our good always, that He 
might preserve us alive, as it 
is at this day. And it shall 
be our righteousness, if we 



THE GOSPEL. 

"For sin shall not have 
dominion over you: for ye are 
not under the law, but under 
grace. But now being made 
free from sin, and become ser- 
vants to God, ye have your 
fruit unto holiness, and the 
end everlasting life." — Rom. 
6:14, 22. 

" For by grace are ye saved 
through faith; and that not of 
yourselves: it is the gift of 
God: not of works, lest any 



36 



BIBLE READINGS. 



observe to do all these com- 
mandments before the Lord 
our God, as He hath com- 
manded us."— Deut. 6:24, 25. 



man should boast. For we are 
His workmanship, created in 
Christ Jesus unto good works, 
which God hath before or- 
dained that we should walk 
in them."— Eph. 2:8-10. 



The law says, Do. 

The gospel says, It is done. 



THE LAW. 

" Thou shalt therefore keep 
the commandments, and the 
statutes, and the judgments, 
which I command thee this 
day, to do them. Wherefore 
it shall come to pass, if ye 
hearken to these judgments, 
and keep and do them, that 
the Lord thy God shall keep 
unto thee the covenant and 
the mercy which He sware 
unto thy fathers." — Deut. 7.* 
11, 12. 



THE GOSPEL. 



"I have glorified thee on 
earth: I have finished the 
work which thou gavest me 
to do."— John 17:4 

" Blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who hath blessed us 
with all spiritual blessings 
in heavenly places in Christ. 
In whom we have redemp- 
tion through His blood, the 
forgiveness of sins, according 
to the riches of His grace." 
—Eph. 1:3,7. 

The law extorts the unwilling services of a bonds- 
man. 

The gospel loins the loving service of a son and 
freeman. 



THE LAW. 

"Know ye not, brethren, 
(for I speak to them that 
know the law,) how that the 
law hath dominion over a 
man as long as he liveth? 
For the woman which hath 
an husband is bound by the 
law to her husband, so long 
as he liveth ; but if the hus- 
band be dead, she is loosed 
from the law of her husband." 
—Rom. 7:1, 2. 

" But before faith came, we 



THE GOSPEL. 

"But after that faith is 
come, we are no longer under 
a schoolmaster. For ye are 
all the children of God by 
faith in Christ Jesus." — Gal. 
3:25, 26. 

" But now we are delivered 
from the law, that being 
dead wherein we were held; 
that we should serve in new- 
ness of spirit, and not in the 
oldness of the letter."— Eom. 
7:6. 



THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. 



37 



"Stand fast therefore in 
the liberty wherewith Christ 
hath made us free, and be not 
entangled again with the 
yoke of bondage." — Gal. 5:1. 



were kept under the law, 
shut up unto the faith which 
should afterwards be reveal- 
ed. Wherefore the law was 
our schoolmaster to bring us 
unto Christ, that we might 
be justified by faith." — Gal. 
3:23,24. 

The law makes blessings the result of obedience. 
The gospel makes obedience the result of bless- 
ings. 



THE LAW. 

" And it shall come to pass, 
if thou shalt hearken dili- 
gently unto the voice of the 
Lord thy God, to observe and 
to do all His commandments 
which I command thee this 
day, that the Lord thy God 
will set thee on high above all 
nations of the earth; and all 
these blessings shall come on 
thee, and overtake thee, if 
thou shalt hearken unto the 
voice of the Lord thy God." 
Deut. 28:1, 2. 



THE GOSPEL. 

"Behold, what manner of 
love the Father hath bestow- 
ed upon us, that we should 
be called the sons of God: 
therefore the world knoweth 
us not, because it knew Him 
not. Beloved, now are we the 
sons of God, and it doth not 
yet appear what we shall be : 
but we know that, when He 
shall appear, we shall be like 
Him; for we shall see Him as 
He is. And every man that 
hath this hope in Him, puri- 
fieth himself, even as He is 
pure."— I John 3:1-3. 



The law says u if. n 

The gospel says "therefore' 



THE LAW. 

"The Lord shall* establish 
thee an holy people unto 
Himself, as He hath shown 
unto thee, if thou shalt keep 
the commandments of the 
Lord thy God, and walk in 
His ways. * * * * But 
it shall come to pass, if thou 
wilt not hearken unto the 
voice of the Lord thy God, 



THE GOSPEL. 

"Having therefore these 
promises, dearly beloved, let 
us cleanse ourselves from all 
filthiness of the flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in 
the fear of God."— II Cor. 
7:1. 

" I beseech you therefore 
brethren, by the mercies of 
God, that ye present your 



38 



BIBLE READINGS. 



to observe to do all His com- 
mandments and His statutes 
which I command thee this 
day; that all these curses 
shall come upon thee, and 
overtake thee." — Deut. 28: 
9,15. 



bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable unto God, which 
is your reasonable service." 
Eom. 12:1. 



Under the law, God's dealings toiih man were to 
shoiv him his oicn helplessness. 

Under the gospel, God's dealings with man are 
to show him the mighty power of his Saviour. 



THE LAW. 

" Moreover the law entered, 
that the offense might 
abound. But where sin 
abounded, grace did much 
more abound." — Eom. 5:20. 

"What shall we say then? 
Is the law sin? God forbid. 
Nay, I had not known sin, 
but by the law: for I had not 
known lust, except the law 
had said, Thou shalt not 
covet. But sin, taking oc- 
casion by the commandment, 
wrought in me all manner of 
concupiscence. For without 
the law sin was dead. For 
I was alive without the law 
once: but when the com- 
mandment came, sin revived, 
and I died. And the com- 
mandment, which was or- 
dained to life, I found to be 
unto death. For sin, taking 
occasion by the command- 
ment, deceived me, and by it 
slew me. Wherefore the law 
is holy, and the command- 
ment holy, and just, and 
good. "Was then that which 
is good made death unto me? 



THE GOSPEL. 
" And lest I should be ex- 
alted above measure through 
the abundance of the revela- 
tions, there was given to me 
a thorn in the flesh, the mes- 
senger of Satan to buffet me, 
lest I should be exalted 
above measure. For this 
thing I besought the Lord 
thrice, that it might depart 
from me. And He said unto 
me, My grace is sufficient for 
thee: for my strength is made 
perfect in weakness. Most 
gladly therefore will I rather 
glory in my infirmities, that 
the power of Christ may rest 
upon me. Therefore I take 
pleasure in infirmities, in re- 
proaches, in necessities, in 
persecutions, in distresses 
for Christ's sake : for when I 
am weak, then am I strong." 
—II Cor. 12:7_10. 



THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. 



God forbid. But sin, that it 
might appear sin, working 
death in me by that which is 
good; that sin by the com- 
mandment might become ex- 
ceeding sinful."— Bom. 7:7- 
13. 

The law places the day of rest at the end of the 
week's work. 

The gospel places the day of rest at the begin- 
ning of the week's work. 

The law toas given to restrain the u old man.''' 

The gospel was given to bestoio liberty upon the 
"new man." 

The law teas given to put to death. 

The gospel ivas given to make alive. 

The Epistle to the Galatians treats of this sub- 
ject more fully than any other part of Scripture. 
The Galatians did not seem to understand the 
vital difference between the two covenants, and 
were trying to mix them together. They did not 
deny Christ and the new life in Him; but they 
tried to add something to Christ, and to bring 
the new life into bondage to the law that was 
made for the old life. Christ and the law, was 
the heresy which caused Paul to cry out, " Oh fool- 
ish Galatians, who hath bewitched you ?" Their 
idea was Christ, and legal observances. 

They seem to have begun all right; for Paul 
says they had received the Spirit by the hearing 
of faith. They had been taught at first that the 
Lord Jesus Christ was a complete Saviour, and 



40 BIBLE READINGS. 

seem to have trusted Him as such. But some 
Jewish brethren had come among them, and said, 
"Oh no, you are very much mistaken; Christ is 
not enough alone, you must come under the Jew- 
ish law as well." They added external rites to the 
work of Christ. 

We in the present day are greatly shocked at 
this; but in principle many do the same thing. 
They do not add Jewish ceremonies, but they add 
some other form of legality, some self effort of one 
kind or another. It does not make much differ- 
ence what we add; the wrong thing is to add any- 
thing at all, as necessary to salvation. Many 
things may be necessary as the fruits or results 
of salvation ; but as the procuring cause and the 
inward power, only the redemption that is in 
Christ, and the life hid with Him in God, can 
avail anything whatever. 

The religion of the law is as though a man 
should make an apple orchard, by first buying 
some apples and tying them on to branches, then 
fastening the branches on the trunk, and then 
fastening the trunk on to the roots, and then 
finally getting a field and planting in it these man- 
ufactured trees. First the fruit, afterward the 
roots. But the religion of the Gospel begins at 
the root, and grows up and blooms out into flowers 
and fruit, which are love, joy, peace. 

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye 
should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ 



THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. 41 

hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This 
only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the 
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so fool- 
ish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by 
the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be 
yet in vain. * * * But that no man is justified by the law 
in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by 
faith. And the law is not of faith : but, the man that doeth 
them shall live in them."— Gal. 3:1^l, 11, 12. 

"Is the law then against the promises of God! God forbid: 
for if there had been a law given which could have given 
life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But 
the Scripture hath concluded all under sin. that the promise 
by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up 
unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed."— Gal. 
3: 21-23. 

"Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth 
nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is 
under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the 
father. Even so, we, when we were children, were in bond- 
age under the elements of the world: But when the full- 
ness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of 
a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were 
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of 
His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore 
thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an 
heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then, when ye knew 
not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no 
gods. But now, after that ye have known God; or rather are 
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly 
elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye 
observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid 
of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." — Gal. 
4: 1-11. 

Finally Paul sums it all up in an emphatic exhor- 
tation ; which applies to us now, no less than to the 
Galatians then. 

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath 
made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of 
bondage. ****** Christ is become of no effect 
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law: ye are 
fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the 
hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither 



42 BIBLE READINGS. 

circumcision availeth any thing nor nncircumcision, but 
faith which worketh by love." — Gal. 5: 1, 4-6. 

And he announced the inward secret of the 

new and victorious life, which needs no law, 

because it is in its very depths a law unto itself, 

in the following significant words: 

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not ful- 
fill the lust of the flesh. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye 
are not under the law. And they that are Christ's have cru- 
cified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ^ If we live in 
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." — Gal. 5: 16, 
18, 24, 25. 

"Against such there is no law" is the divine) 
declaration concerning all who thus live and walk v 
in the Spirit. ^/ 

Only those who inwardly desire to break the 
law, are in any sense "under the law." The man 
who approves of the law and means to keep it, is 
over it, not under it. The law is a terror to evil- 
doers only, not to those who do well. Some of 
us walk through the streets of our great cities 
without a thought of the policemen, except as 
our protectors and friends ; while others shrink 
from them as their bitterest enemies. 

Let us then seek to lay aside all the old legal 
life of self effort and self-dependence, and let us 
open our hearts wide to let the overcoming life 
of Christ take full possession of us, and work in 
us to will and to do all the good pleasure of God. 

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: 
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our 
faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that 
belie veth that Jesus is the Son of God. — I John 5: 4, 5. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



IV. 
SUBJECT— ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 

Foundation Text. — "Let us draw near with a true heart 
in full assurance of faith, having our hearts 
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our 
bodies washed with pure water." — Heb. 10:22. 

By the assurance of faith is meant a clear and 
definite knowledge of the forgiveness of sins, of 
reconciliation with God, and of our relationship 
with Him as our Father. 

About these vital matters we must be able to 
say "1 know." Not "I hope so," or "I wish so," 
but firmly and unhesitatingly, "I know." 

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they 
shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy 
name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteous- 
ness shall they be exalted." — Ps. 89:15, 16. 

" Thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and 
thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." — Isa. 60:16. 

"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and 
ye in me, and I in you." — John 14: 20. 

This assurance is necessary for all right living. 
It ought to be the first step in the Christian life. 
In the absence of this assurance, lies the secret 
of much of the failure of Christians. They pre- 
sent the strange anomaly of children who doubt 
their parentage, of heirs who are afraid to take 
(43) 



44 BIBLE READINGS. 

possession of their inheritance, of a bride who is 
not sure she has been really married. 

What conld we expect from such doubts in 
earthly relationships, but indifference, fear, anx- 
iety, unkindness, sorrow and rebellion ? 

And are not these the very things that are 
found far too often in the hearts of G-od's children, 
in reference to their relationships to Him ? 

" Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joy- 
fulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all 
things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, which the 
Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in 
nakedness, and in want of all things: and He shall put a yoke 
of iron upon thy neck, until He have destroyed thee." — Deut. 
28:47, 48. 

No soul can serve the Lord with joyfulness who 
is in doubt as to the reality or the stability of its 
relations with Him. All human comfort is de- 
stroyed in such a case, as affecting earthly rela- 
tions ; and but little divine comfort is, as we all 
know, to be found in doubtful spiritual relations. 

Can we then suppose for a moment that this too 
frequent reign of doubt in Christians' hearts was 
God's plan for His people ? Does the Bible teach 
that it is ? 

I answer most emphatically, No, a thousand 
times No! 

The Old Testament never contemplated the idea 
of Israelites, who did not know whether they were 
Israelites or not. Every law given to them or 
promise made, was founded on the previously 



ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 45 

acknowledged and understood fact, that they did 
in very truth belong to the family of Israel, 
and were indeed the people of God. 

Before they were allowed to join the Lord's 
army and fight His battles, they had to " declare 
their pedigree." 

" Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children 
of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
■with the number of their names, every male by their polls; 
from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go 
forth to war in Israel : thou and Aaron shall number them by 
their armies. And with you there shall be a man of every 
tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. * * * 

* * And they assembled all the congregation together 
on the first day of the second month, and they declared their 
pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
according to the number of the names, from twenty years old 
and upward, by their polls." — Num. 1 : 2, 3, 4, 18. 

And before they could enter into the office of 

priest they must " find their register" and "reckon 

their genealogy," for no strangers were allowed 

to " come nigh." 

"And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they 
shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that Com- 
eth nigh shall be put to death." — Num. 3:10. 

"These sought their register among those that were reck- 
oned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were 
they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. And the Tir- 
shatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most 
holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with 
Thummim."— Ezra 2:62, 63. 

And similarly we, who are God's people now, 

can not effectively fight His battles nor enjoy true 

priestly communion with Him, until we also can 

" declare our pedigree," that we are the children 

of God, and " reckon our genealogy" that we are 

born of Him, 



BIBLE READINGS. 



" And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit 
of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Where- 
fore thou art no mere a servant, but a son; and if a son, then 
an heir of God through Christ."— Gal. 4:6, 7. 

" Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore 
the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Be- 
loved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear 
what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, 
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." — I 
John 3:1, 2. 

We can not have the spirit of a son, until we 
know we are sons. To doubt it, would be to lose 
the spirit at once. 

" For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the 
sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage 
again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth 
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and 
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ; if so be that Ave suffer with Him, that we may be also 
glorified together."— Kom. 8:14r-17. 

Oqr Lord Himself always speaks to His disci- 
ples in terms of absolute certainty as to their rela- 
tions to God. 

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure 
to give you the kingdom." — Luke 12:32. 

"Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are 
subject unto you: but rather rejoice, because your names are 
written in heaven." — Luke 10:20. 

"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; 
that they may be one, even as we are one : I in them, and 
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that 
the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved 
them as thou hast loved me." — John 17:22, 23. 

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, be- 
lieve also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: 
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a 
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I 
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I 
am, there ye may be also." — John 14:1-3. 

" If it were not so He would have told us." 



ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 47 

Surely we may trust Him, and accept His state- 
ments as facts, without any further questioning. 

Nowhere in the Acts do we find the apostles 
or any of the early believers, questioning their 
standing, or doubting as to their relationship 
to the Lord. Peter said concerning their experi- 
ences on the day of Pentecost: 

" But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will 
pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your 
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see vis- 
ions, and your old men shall dream dreams : and on my 
servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those 
days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy." — Acts 2:16-18. 

" If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the 
impotent man, by whai; means he is made whole; be it known 
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name 
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God 
raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here 
before you whole." — Acts 4:9, 10. 

" For we can not but speak the things which we have seen 
and heard." — Acts 4:20. 

No one can read the history of the words and 
deeds of the apostles and the early believers, with- 
out seeing that they were saturated through and 
through with an utter certainty of their salvation 
in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was as much a part 
of them, as their nationality as Jews, or their na- 
tivity in Palestine, and was no more open to ques- 
tion. Let us try to imagine them as being filled 
with the doubtings and questionings of modern 
Christians, and think what effect it would have 
had upon their preaching and their work. We 
can see in a moment that it would have been fatal 



48 BIBLE READINGS. 

to the spread of the gospel, and that a Church 
founded on doubts and questionings, could have 
made no headway in an unbelieving world. 

This tone of utter assurance runs through all 
the Epistles. They are everyone addressed to 
people of whom it was taken for granted that they 
knew their standing as the reconciled and forgiven 
children of God ; and the writers express the same 
assurance for themselves, as they do for those to 
whom they write. 

"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, 
separated unto the gospel of God. * * * To all that be 
in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: grace to you, 
and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 
-Kom. 1:1, 7. 

" Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the 
will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the Church of 
God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ 
Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call 
upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and 
ours."— I Cor. 1:1,2. 

" Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus unto the church of 
the Thessaloniarjs which is in God the Father, and in the Lord 
Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our 
Father, and the Liord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God 
always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour 
of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in 
the sight of God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved, 
your election of God." — I Thess. 1 :l-4. 

"Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, 
unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow labourer, and 
to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, 
and to the church in tby house, Grace to you, and peace, 
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, I thank my 
God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing 
of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord 
Jesus, and toward all saints." — Philemon 1: 1-5. 

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered 
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, 



ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 49 

through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and 
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and 
peace, be multiplied." — I Pet. 1: 1, 2. 

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to 
them that have obtained like precious faith with us through 
the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." 
—II Pet. 1: 1. 

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, 
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked 
upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for 
the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear wit- 
ness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with 
the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we 
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may 
have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the 
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.— I John 1 : 1-3. 

"The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I 
love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have 
known the truth; for the truth's sake, which dweileth in us, 
and shall be with us forever." — II John 1, 2. 

"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, 
to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved 
in Jesus Christ, and called." — Jude:l. 

Again, if we run through the Epistles we shall 
invariably" find that they also, like the Gospels 
and the Acts, are saturated through and through 
with assurance. Nowhere is a doubt or a ques- 
tion of the believer's standing in the family of 
God eveD so much as hinted at or supposed 
possible. 

" Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have 
access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice 
in hope of the glory of God." — Rom. 5:1, 2. 

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trib- 
ulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, 
or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are 
killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the 
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than con- 
querors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 

4 



50 BIBLE READINGS. 



nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate 
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 
— Kom. 8:35-39. 

" Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the 
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple 
of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, 
which temple ye are." — I Cor. 3;16, 17. 

"What! know ye net that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are 
not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore 
glorifv God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 
—I Cor. 6:19, 20. 

" For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ 
have put on Christ."— Gal. 3:26, 27. 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 
places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him 
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy 
and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated 
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, 
according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of 
the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted 
in the beloved : in whom we have redemption through His 
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His 
grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom 
and prudence." — Eph. 1 :3-8. 

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet 
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light : who 
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath trans- 
lated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we 
have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of 
sins."— Col. 1: 12-14. 

" But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off 
are made nigh by the blood of Christ." — Eph. 2:13. ' 

"And you, being dead in your sins and theuncircumcision 
of your nesh,hath He quickened together with Him, having 
forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of 
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, 
and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross." — Col. 
2:13, 14 

" I write unto you, little children, because your sins are 
forgiven you for His name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, 
because ye have kaown Him that is from the beginning. I 
write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the 
wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye 
have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, 



ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 51 

because ye have known Him that is from the beginning. I 
have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, 
and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome 
the wicked one." — I John 2 :12-14. 

" But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy 
nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises 
of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His mar- 
velous light."-I Pet. 2:9. 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us 
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and unde- 
filed, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 
who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salva- 
tion ready to be revealed in the last time." — I Pet. 1 :3-5. 

These are only a few samples of the voice of 
every Epistle. Notice the assured expressions 
" hath blessed," "ftaZ/fc chosen," " hath made us ac- 
cepted." Notice also the present tense of posses- 
sion continually used, "are," "have," "hath, "is." 
Never once is there a "hope so," or "perhaps 
so," or "I wish it might be so." Unquestioning, 
rejoicing assurance breathes from every word. 

All exhortations to holiness are based on this 
assured knowledge of our reconciliation with God ; 
and all exhortations to service also. 

" Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us 
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God." — II Cor. 7 :1. 

We are not to be holy in order to gain the 

promises, but because we have the promises. 

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on 
the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ 
in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then 
shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Mortify therefore 
your members which are upon the earth; fornication, un- 
cleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covet- 
ousness, which is idolatry."— Col. 3:2-5. 



52 BIBLE READINGS. 

" And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are 
sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and 
wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put 
away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to an- 
other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for 
Christ's sake hath forgiven you."— Eph. 4:30-32. 

" Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore 
the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Be- 
loved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear 
what we shall be : but we know that, when He shall appear, 
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And 
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even 
as He is pure." — I Joho 3:1-3. 

God wants from us the service of a son, not of 

a servant only. A servant works for wages, a son 

from love. The servant works to gain something ; 

the son because all has been given him. How 

can we render the son's service, unless we know 

that we are sons ? 

" Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and 
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given 
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet- 
smelling savour." — Eph. 5:1, 2. 

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if 
a son, then an heir of God through Christ." — Gal. 4:7. 

Since then we have proved thus incontrovertibly 
that the assurance of faith is the only normal con- 
dition of a child of God, our next point must be 
as to how it is to be arrived at. 

We answer that it comes simply by believing 
God. He says certain things about Himself and 
about us ; faith be"' ieves them, and assurance fol- 
lows. Notice that in the Scriptures " believing" 
and " having' ' are always joined together. " He 
that believeth, hath," is the continual declaration! 



ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 53 

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me 
hath everlasting life." — John 6:47. 

" And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up : that whosoever 
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the 
world to condemn the world; but that the world through 
Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not con- 
demned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, 
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begot- 
ten Son of God."— John 3: 14-18. 

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and 
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath 
of God abideth on him." — John 3:36. 

" Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, 
and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and 
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death 
unto life."— John 5:24. 

" But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to 
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His 
name." — John 1:12. 

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that 
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on 
me shall never thirst." — John 6:35. 

" And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one 
which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlast- 
ing life: and I will raise him up at the last day." — John 6:40. 

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: 
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live: and whosoever live th and believeth in me shall never 
die. Believest thou this?"— John 11 :25, 26. 

" And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of 
His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these 
are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through 
His name."— John 20:30, 31. 

Notice that it never says, "he that feel etli, hath" 

but always " he that believeth." Our feelings are 

no guide whatever here. In all matters of fact, 

it is folly to depend upon feelings ; and, in truth, 

we never do it in our earthly affairs. "We never 

say over a piece of good or bad news, " Do I feel 



54 BIBLE READINGS. 

it is true," but we confine ourselves simply to 
the question, " Is it true?" 

Who would be so silly as to enter a railroad 
depot and take the first car at hand, and then sit 
down and try to " feel" whether it was the right 
car or not? We all know that the state of our 
feelings could not alter the facts ; and our sole aim 
in such cases is always to find out the facts. 

In order for assurance of faith then, as to our 
relations with the Lord, we must not depend, upon 
our feelings, but must simply find out the facts. 

God's order, and the order of good common 
sense as well, is always I. Fact, II. Faith, III. 
Feeling. But in matters of religion man reverses 
this order, and says I. Feeling, II. Faith, III. 
Fact. 

And just as in the case of the railway train we 
would find peace and assurance by asking some 
one who knew, and by believing his word, so also 
in the case of our relations with the Lord, we 
must hear and believe what He says about it, 
without regard to how we feel. 

" If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God ia 
greater; for this is the witness of God, which He hath testi- 
fied of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath 
the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made 
Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave 
of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to 
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. " — I John 5:9-11. 

We receive the " witness of men" continually 
without a question or doubt ; shall we be less ready 



ASSUBANCE OF FAITH. 55 

to receive the "witness of God?" In verse 10 
notice that it is not he that hath the witness in 
himself, shall believe, but he that believeth shall 
have the witness in himself. 

Here we have, first the fact, second the faith, 
third the feeling. 

What are we to do then in order to get the as- 
surance of faith? 

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we 
might work the works of God? Jesus answered and 
said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on 
him whom He hath sent. "—John 6:28, 29. 

We must believe two things. First, what God 
says concerning Christ. Second, what He says 
concerning us. 

It is not really believing a person if we only 
believe half he says; and yet many who would 
consider it the worst of sins to disbelieve God's 
testimony concerning Christ, consider it no sin at 
all, but in fact rather virtuous humility, to doubt 
His testimony concerning themselves. They dare 
not doubt that Jesus is the Christ, but find no 
difficulty in doubting whether they are themselves 
" born of God." And yet God joins the two in- 
separably together. 

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of 
God."— I John 5:1. 

Here is a plain and simple statement. " Who- 
soever believeth, is born," not will be, but is, now 
in the present moment; for no one can believe 
who is not born of God. 



56 BIBLE READINGS. 

But you may say, how can I know that I be- 
lieve? Could you write a paper saying, "I do 
not believe that Jesus is the Christ" and sign it 
with your name ? Would it not be a lie if you 
should do so? If the alternative were presented 
to you of denying Christ or going to prison, would 
you not choose the prison? 

You do believe, therefore, that Jesus is the 

Christ; and God says that whosoever does,is born 

of Him. Does not this settle the question? 

'• Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, 
God dwelleth in him, and he in God. " — I John 4:15. 

Could language be plainer than this? If you 
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwell- 
eth in you, now. 

" But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy 
mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we 
preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised 
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."— Horn. 10:8,9. 

What should we think of a child who should 
doubt whether she was really the mother's own 
child; who should say "Well, I have a trembling 
hope I am, but that is all ?" Would not such ex- 
pressions be equivalent to casting a doubt on the 
mother's word? And do not our doubts as to 
whether we are really God's children "make Him 
a liar?" 

"He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; be- 
cause he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. 
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, 
and this life is in His Son." — I John 5:10,11. 



ASSURANCE OF FAITH. 57 



The record we are to believe is that "God hath 

given to us eternal life." If He has given it, we 

must have it, and there is nothing more to be said 

about it. 

" These things have I written unto you that believe on the 
name of the Son of Goci; that ye may know that ye have 
eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son 
of God."— I John 5 :i3. 

We have eternal life if we believe ; but we may 
not "know" that we have it, and our peace de- 
pends upon our knowing it. A man may have a 
fortune left to him by a friend, but until he 
" knows it," he can not enjoy it. 

The assurance of faith, therefore, is simply the 
"knowing" of which John speaks. And it arises 
from our belief in the trustworthy testimony, not 
of our feelings, but of God's word. 

"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of 
His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these 
are written, that ye mig-ht believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God; and that, believing, ye might have life 
through His name. " 

Not what we feel, but what is the record ; not 
what are our experiences, but what has been 
"written;" this is the foundation for the assur- 
ance of faith. 

We all of us know the curious experience of be- 
ing " turned round" when walking in the streets 
of a city or traveling in a railroad car, when we 
feel as if we were going in one direction, although 
as a fact we are going in exactly the opposite 
direction. Our feelings in this case contradict 



58 BIBLE READINGS. 

the facts, and we may even know this ; and yet it 
is almost impossible not to yield to these feelings 
and take the wrong direction. I have discovered 
that I can conquer these feelings, and turn my- 
self round right, by just repeating over to myself 
in a very emphatic way, when I feel that I am 
going north yet know as a fact that I am going 
south, " I am, I am, I am going south." In a 
minute or two my feelings always come under the 
control of the fact, and I begin to feel, as well as 
to know, that I really am going south. 

In the same way, when we have convinced our- 
selves from God's " record" that our sins are for- 
given and that our peace is made with God, we 
can then control our feeling that it is not so, by a 
similar process. We can assert on the authority 
of God's word, "My sins are forgiven; Ia??zGod's 
child; God is reconciled to me; I am a Christian." 4 

Such a course, persevered in regardless of feel- 
ing, will always bring peace and deliverance to 
every soul that is willing to take God at His word, 
and to risk all on His trustworthiness. 



BIBLE READINGS- 



SUBJECT— KEEPING. 

Foundation Text. — And behold, I am with thee, and will 
keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and 
will bring thee again into this land; for I will 
not leave thee, until I have done that which I 
have spoken to thee of." — Gen. 28:15. 

We all feel the need of being kept by a 
power outside of ourselves. Life is full of dangers 
to both soul and body, and we are most of the time 
too blind to see them, "We are like little helpless, 
ignorant children, walking in strange pathways, 
and knowing nothing of the snares and pitfalls 
that await our unwary steps'. 

We have need to cry out continually with the 

Psalmist : 

" But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is 
my trust; leave not my soul destitute. Keep me from the 
snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the 
workers of iniquity." — Psalm 141:8, 9. 

And continually we have the Lord's answer: 

" For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, 
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread 
upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon 
shalt thou trample under feet."— Psalm 91 :11-13. 

"Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot 
shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be 

(59) 



60 BIBLE READINGS 

afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the 
wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confi- 
dence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken."— Prov. 
3:23-26. 

The Lord is like a mother who holds the hand 

of her little child as they walk together, that she 

may keep it from falling over the snares that lie 

in its way. It is the mother holding the child that 

makes it safe, not the child holding the mother. 

Notice the words " bear thee up," and illustrate 

by the infant in the mother's arms, safe because 

of her upholding. Its little frightened grasps 

when danger is nigh, do not make it any safer, for 

its safety consists in the fact that its mother holds 

it, and everything depends on whether she is able 

to keep it safe. 

" Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and 
to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with 
exceeding joy." — Jude, 24. 

Mothers are not always able to keep their chil- 
dren from falling, but God is always able. People 
sometimes say, in their ignorance, "If I get re- 
ligion, I am afraid I can not keep it." This is 
true, you could not ; but if you let God get you 
He w T ill keep you. 

" I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest 
any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." — Isa. 27:3. 

Our hearts are like a garden open on every side 

to enemies who are pressing in to ravage and 

destroy; and there is no safety for us except in 

the keeping power of the Divine Husbandman, 



KEEPING. 61 



who neither slumbers nor sleeps, and whom no 

enemy can either elude or conquer. 

" Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it 
in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will 
gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. — 
Jer. 31:10. 

We are like the poor helpless sheep who have 

no armor against their enemies, and no wisdom 

to save themselves from danger. But we have a 

Divine Shepherd to care for us, and therefore we 

need not fear. 

"For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of 
his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the 
waste, howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed 
him, he kept him as the apple of his eye." — Deut. 32 :9, 10. 



Nothing is dearer to a man or more tenderly 

cared for than the apple of his eye. And since 

we are to the Lord " as the apple of His eye," we 

must be sure of the tenderest Divine keeping. 

" Show thy marvelous loving-kindness, O thou that savest 
by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from 
those that rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of 
the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, from the 
wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who com- 
pass me about."— Ps. 17:7-9. 

The mother hen keeps her little chickens under 

the shadow of her wings, and so will the Lord 

keep us, If we will let Him. But this is a very 

large "If." What would we think of a little 

chicken which should stand off by itself, trembling 

with fright when danger was nigh, and saying, 

" I am not worthy to go under my mother's wing. 

I am too little, and too weak, and too insignificant. 



62 BIBLE READINGS. ■ 

I must wait to go under until I am stronger and 
more worthy of her love ?" Would not the mother 
hen have answered such a foolish little chicken by 
saying, " It is just because you are little and wea'k 
that I am spreading out my wings to cover you, 
and am clucking for you to come. If you were 
grown large and strong I would not want you. 
Your littleness and your weakness are your claim 
to my care." 

Is there nothing in this parable to teach us 
a lesson ? 

" He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High 
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of 
the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him 
will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of 
the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover 
thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; 
His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be 
afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth 
by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; 
nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thou- 
sand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right 
hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes 
shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked. Be- 
cause thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the 
Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, 
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." — Ps. 91: 
1-10. 

Have we never said, or at least thought, that we 

were too weak and unworthy to " make the Lord 

our refuge; 1 ' and have we not sometimes in our 

secret hearts planned to seek this refuge when we 

should feel ourselves more worthy of entering it ? 

" My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and 
earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that 
keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Is- 
rael shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: 



KEEPING. 63 



the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun 
shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The 
Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve 
thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy 
coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore." — 
Ps. 121:2-8. 

This Psalm might be called the Bible Keep. 
The Keep in an ancient castle was always 
the strongest and best protected room in the Castle, 
the one which could be the last reached by any 
enemy. In this Keep all the sick and weak and 
helpless inmates of the Castle were hidden in every 
time of danger. The qualification for entrance 
was simply and only, need and weakness. How 
foolish then it would have been for any to have 
made their weakness the reason for remaining out- 
side! And yet how continually is this done to- 
wards the Lord's Keep. 

" The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and 
He helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the 
Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast de- 
livered my soul from death, mioe eyes from tears, and my 
feet from falling."— Ps. 116:6-8. 

It is the simple, the weak, those who are 
"brought low" whom the Lord preserves. 

Notice the fact that this Divine Keeper never 
slumbers nor sleeps, and therefore never neglects 
those for whom He cares. Think of the fatal 
consequences of neglect on the part of keepers of 
a prison, or keepers of a flock of sheep, or keep- 
ers of a vineyard on a frosty night, or sentinels 
keeping a dangerous outpost, and show by con- 
trast what sort of a Keeper our Lord is. 



64 BIBLE READINGS. 

We all realize the responsibilities of the human 
keeper to whose care anything has been commit- 
ted. When anything is given to ourselves to 
keep, we feel that we must care for that thing in 
preference to our own, if there is any choice. And 
from these high ideals of responsibility in our 
own case we may learn what our Divine Keeper 
must necessarily do. 

" And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the 
world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through thine 
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may 
be one, as we are one. While I was with them in the world, 
I'kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have 
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that 
the scripture might be fulfilled." — John 17:11, 12. 

" For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own 
will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this is the 
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all He hath 
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again 
at the last day."— John 6:38, 39. 

We may therefore commit ourselves with the 

utmost confidence to the keeping of the Lord our 

Keeper. 

" Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of 
God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, 
as unto a faithful Creator." — I Pet. 4:19. 

For our Creator is our Keeper. And He is a 

faithful Creator. Men whom we trust often prove 

unfaithful, but He never! And if we are grieved 

when doubts are felt of our faithfulness to any 

trust committed to us, how much more must He. 

" But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and 
keep you from evil." — II Thess. 3:3. 

" Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, 
and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and 
that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the 



KEEPING. 



people upon it, and spirit to them that walk herein : I the 
Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine 
hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the 
people, for a light of the Gentiles." — Isa. 42:5, 6. 

Therefore Paul could say: 

" For the which cause I also suffer these things: neverthe- 
less I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, 
and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have 
committed unto Him against that day." — II Tim. 1 :12. 

If we know Him, we can not fail to trust Him. 
No one who knows Him ever did yet. And this 
after all is the true secret of confidence — knowl- 
edge of the trustworthiness of the one to be trusted. 
We act on this in our earthly affairs, and are 
never so silly as to look inside ourselves to see 
whether we can or ought to trust another. We 
look at that other instead, and try to find out his 
character and his ways. But in their intercourse 
with the Lord many act on an entirely different 
principle. They look at themselves for a warrant 
and ground of trust, instead of at Him. They 
behold self and its untrustworthiness, and are 
filled with doubts and despair. Whereas a single 
soul-look at Him will fill us with perfect peace, 
because of His utter trustworthiness. 

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is 
stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."— Isa. 26:3. 

Emphasize the words " perfect peace," and il- 
lustrate them by the peace that comes when we 
have entrusted any precious thing to safe-keeping. 
A bank for instance. Think how we are continu- 
ally trusting banks, and how comfortable we feel 
5 



BIBLE READINGS. 



when we have transferred our money from our 
own keeping to that of some safe bank. Illus- 
trate what trust in God ought to be, by the nature 
of our trust in the bank. Show the folly of doubt, 
by the folly of every hour running back to the 
bank to see if our money is safe. And, by the 
indignation of the bank officers at such a course, 
show how our doubts and fears must grieve our 
God. 

Our part in this divine keeping is threefold, as 
it always is in every stage of the spiritual life. 
We must yield, and trust and obey. 

" Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hasfc laid up 
for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them 
that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide 
them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: 
thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife 
of tongues."— Ps. 31:19, 20. 

" O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; 
for I put my trust in thee." — Ps. 25:20. 

There can be no keeping without yielding and 
trusting. In the very nature of things, a keeper 
must have that which he is to keep, entrusted ut- 
terly to his care. 

Neither can there be any keeping without obe- 
dience. 

" My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake 
not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine 
heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest it 
shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and 
when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the com- 
mandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of 
instruction are the way of life, to keep thee from the evil 
woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a (strange woman." 
-Prov, 6;20-24 



KEEPING. 67 



" He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart 
retain my words : keep my commandments, and live. Get wis- 
dom, get understanding : forget it not; neither decline from the 
words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall pre- 
serve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee." — Pro v. 4:4-6. 

" Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the 
statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, 
to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken 
to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord 
thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy 
which He sware unto thy fathers." — Deut. 7:11, 12. 

If we would be kept, we must be guided, and 

must follow that guidance. 

" Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the 
way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." 
— Exod. 23:20. 

" And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy 
God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble 
thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, 
whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no. And 
He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee 
with manna, (which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers 
know,) that He might make thee know that man doth not 
live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of 
the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment waxed 
not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty 
years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a 
man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth 
thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandmentsof the 
Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him." — 
Deut. 8:2-6. 

"For the Lord our God, He it is that brought us up, and 
our fathers, out of the land of Egypt, from the house of 
bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and 
preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all 
the people through whom we passed." — Josh. 24:17. 

We are tempted to think that it is not true 
keeping unless it is in our own way and accord- 
ing to our own ideas. But our Lord Himself has 
taught us that it must be in God's way and notour 
own, or it would not be true keeping at all. 
" And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and get Him on a 



68 BIBLE READINGS. 

pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, If thou be the Son 
of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, 
He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee; 
and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time 
thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus, an swering, 
said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy 
God."— Luke 4:9-12. 

Only God, who knows the end of things from 
the beginning, can keep us, and if He shall seem 
to leave us to the will of our enemies for a time, 
it is only that He may bring us to a grander 
victory in the end. 

For we are not to be taken out of the world and 
its trials, but are to be kept in the midst of them, 
and are to be preserved from the evil that is in 
them. 

" I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world 
but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." — John 
17:15. 

" Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto 
salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye 
greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are 
in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial 
of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that 
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto 
praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus 
Christ."— I Pet. 1:5-7. 

" Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also 
will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come 
upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." — 
Kev. 3:10. 

The divine pathway by which we may enter this 
heavenly Keep, even while here on earth, is plainly 

set before us. 

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and 
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made 
known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through 
Qhrist Jesus,"— Phil. 4:6, 7, 



KEEPING. 



We must give up all care of our own, by an ut- 
ter surrender of everything to the Divine Care- 
taker, and by an implicit trust in Him ; and then 
must just simply let Him know our wants and our 
needs from day to day. And if this is honestly 
done, and persisted in steadfastly, the result will 
unfailingly be, that the peace of God will keep 
"as in a garrison" (see Greek,) the hearts and 
minds of all who thus commit themselves and all 
they have to His care. 

I remember once hearing of a man who thought 
he could not live unless he kept himself alive. He 
was afraid his breath would stop if he did not 
keep it going by his own efforts, and he tried so 
hard to keep breathing, that he nearly strangled 
himself in the struggle. His family in great 
alarm called in a physician, who, seeing at once 
the difficulty, called out to him peremptorily to 
stop trying to breathe. "I shall die if I do," 
gasped out the poor man. "Die then," exclaimed 
the doctor, "but stop!" The man, overborne by 
the voice of authority, obeyed, and the moment he 
stopped trying to breathe, his breath came easily 
and without effort. 

Just so it is with some Christians. They are 
trying to keep themselves alive, and their life is 
nearly strangled in the effort. If they would but 
give up trying to live, and would let Christ keep 
them alive, they would find themselves living 
easily and without effort. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



VI. 

SUBJECT— REST OF SOUL. 

Foundation Text. — Come unto me, all ye that labour 
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." — 
Matt. 11:28. 

There is in every human heart a cry for rest. 
Life at its best in this stage of existence is full 
of weariness. Both soul and body "labour and 
are heavy laden" with their struggles ; and human- 
ity makes one long moan for rest. 

"My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of 
death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are 
come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I 
said, Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for then would I fly- 
away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and 
remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from 
the windy storm and tempest." — Ps. 55:4r-8. 

We would gladly "fly away" if we could, but 
we may not ; and therefore the rest our Lord pro- 
poses is not a rest from the trial and struggle, 
but a rest in it. 

"Kest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not 
thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of 
the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." — Ps. 37:7. 

It is a rest "in the Lord" not in circumstances, 

or things, or people, and therefore it takes the 

"fret" out of life. This divine rest is to the soul 

(71) 



72 BIBLE READINGS. 

what resting in a bed is to the body. We all 
know the delightful relaxing of every strain that 
comes to us in bed; the delicious letting go of the 
whole body in a perfect abandonment of ease and 
comfort. And just such is the ease of soul that 
comes from resting " in the Lord." 

But this rest implies perfect confidence in Him. 
If one should lie down in a bed that was in any 
way insecure, and was therefore liable to fall, it 
would be impossible to let one's self go in an 
abandonment of rest. We would be compelled to 
hold on to something else, to keep ourselves safe 
in such a bed as that. And it must be because 
Christians do not really believe the Lord alone to 
be a perfectly secure resting-place, that they seek 
so eagerly for something else to hold on by ; some 
good feelings, or good works, some church ordinan- 
ces, or some special and remarkable experiences. 
What would we think of the folly of a man who 
should feel afraid his bed could not support him, and 
should try to hold himself up by ropes attached 
to the ceiling ? And yet this would be nothing 
compared to the folly of those Christians who say 
they are resting in Christ, and who yet are hold- 
ing on to other supports. 

" And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the ef- 
fect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. And 
my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure 
dwellings, and in quiet resting-places." — Isa. 32:17, 18. 

Christ is a resting-place that can not fail ; and 



REST OF SOUL. 73 

to those who have come to Him, there ought to 
be no fear of falling, and no strain to hold one's 
self safe. 

" My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have 
caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the 
mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they 
have forgotteD their resting-place." — Jer. 50:6. 

How truly God's people have " forgotten their 
resting-place," let the almost universal restless- 
ness of " believers" testify. And the result is as 
grievous to us now, as it was to Israel of old. 

" Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyf ul- 
ness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all 
things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, which the 
Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in 
nakedness, and in want of all things: and He shall put a yoke 
of iron upon tliy neck, until He have destroyed thee. * * 

* * And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, 
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest : but the Lord 
shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, 
and sorrow of mind: and thy life shall hang in doubt be- 
fore thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have 
none assurance of thy life: in the morning thou shalt say. 
Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would 
God it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart wherewith 
thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou 
shalt see."— Deut. 28:47, 48, 65, 66, 67. 

"For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; in 
returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in con- 
fidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. But ye 
said, No; for we will flee upon horses: therefore shall ye flee: 
and, we will ride upon the swift : therefore shall they that 
pursue you be swift." — Isa. 30:15, 16. 

" To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith ye may 
cause the weary to rest: and this is the refreshing: yet they 
would not hear." — Isa. 28:12. 

This blessed rest however always awaits God's 
people, wherever or whoever they may be, and no 



74 BIBLE READINGS. 

past unrest can avail to hinder us from a present 

entering in. 

" There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God." 
— Heb. 4:9. 

" Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the 
Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee 
from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and 
Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and 
none shall make him afraid." — Jer. 30:10. 

But this rest can only be entered into by faith. 

Unbelief effectually, and in the very nature of 

things, shuts us out. 

" And to whom sware He that they should not enter into 
His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that 
they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us there- 
fore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His 
rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto 
us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them : but the 
word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with 
faith in them that heard it."— Heb. 3:18, 19; 4:1, 2. 

Notice the expressions " enter into" and enter- 
ing into." We can not work for this rest, nor 
purchase it, nor provide it; we simply " enter into" 
the rest provided for us by One, who offers Him- 
self to us as our resting-place. Just as we rest 
in a strong and loving earthly friend, who under- 
takes our case and promises to carry it through, 
so, only infinitely more, must we rest in the 
Lord ; and it requires faith on our part in both 
cases alike. If we doubt our friend, we can not 
rest, no matter how much we may try ; and if we 
doubt our Lord, we can not rest either, no matter 
how much we may try. For rest comes always by 
trusting, not by trying. 



REST OF SOUL. 75 



" For we which have believed do enter into rest : as He said, 
As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest, 
although the works were finished from the foundation of the 
world. For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day 
on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His 
works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my 
rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter 
therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not 
in because of unbelief: again He limiteth a certain day, say- 
ing in David, To-day, after so long a time; as it is said, To- 
day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. For 
if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterwards 
have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a 
rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his 
rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did 
from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, 
lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." — 
Heb. 4:3-11. 

The " labour" to enter into rest, is not the labour 
to work, but the labour to cease from our own 
working. The natural thought of the human 
heart is, that salvation in everything is to be gained 
by our own self efforts, and it is indeed a "labour" 
often to get rid of this. 

Eefer to the marginal reading on Heb. 4:9, 
where rest is rendered "keeping of a Sabbath.'' 
This teaches us in type what true soul-rest is. 

" Thus the heavens and the ear£h were finished, and all the 
host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work 
which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from 
all His work which He had made. And God blessed the 
seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had 
rested from all His work which God created and made." — 
Gen. 2:1-3. 

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also 
unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye 
shall keep : for it is a sign between me and you throughout 
your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord that 
doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is 
holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put 
to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul 



BIBLE READINGS. 



shall be cat off from among his people. Six days may work 
be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to 
the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he 
shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Is- 
rael shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath through- 
out their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign 
between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six 
days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh 
day He rested, and was refreshed." — Exod. 31:12-17. 

What this outward Sabbath was to the children 
of Israel, that the inward keeping of a Sabbath is 
to be to ns now. We are to cease from our own 
works inwardly, as they were to cease outwardly. 

" And it came to pass, that there went out some of the 
people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep 
my commandments and my laws? See, for that the Lord 
hath given you the sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the 
sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his 
place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So 
the people rested on the seventh day.'* — Exod. 16:27-30. 

The Sabbath was a gift, not a demand. The 
Lord had provided the supply for that day, there- 
fore they did not need to seek for any more, but 
were commanded to rest instead. 

" And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, 
they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 
And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto 
Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they 
put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be 
done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall 
surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him 
with stones without the camp. And all the congregation 
brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, 
and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." — Num. 15: 
32-36. 

This is a type of the spiritual death which 

comes upon the soul that breaks God's inward 



REST OF SOUL. 77 



Sabbath of rest, by the spirit of legal dependence 

upon its own self efforts for salvation. 

" For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased 
from his own works, as God did from His." — Heb. 4:10. 

God rested because He had finished His work. 

We are to rest because the Lord works for us. 

Everything is provided for us in Christ, and we 

are to " enter into" the results of His labour, and 

be at rest. 

"Thus saith the Lord: Take heed to yourselves, and bear 
no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of 
Jerusalem; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses 
on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work; but hallow ye 
the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers." — Jer. 17: 
21, 22. 

In this inward " keeping of a SaJbbath" we are 

not to bear burdens, because the Lord bears them 

for us. 

" Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain 
thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." — 
Ps. 55:22. 

"But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath 
day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of 
Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in 
the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusa- 
iem, and it shall not be quenched." — Jer. 17:27. 

There may arise the natural fear that nothing 

will be accomplished for the soul that thus keeps 

a continual inward Sabbath, and bears no burdens. 

But the answer is full and glorious: 

" And it shall come to pass if ye diligently hearken unto 
me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates 
of the city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, 
to do no work therein ; then shall there enter into the gates of 
this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, 
riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the 
6 



78 BIBLE READINGS. 

men of Judah, and the men of Jerusalem: and this city shall 
remain forever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, 
and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of 
Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and 
from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and 
meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, 
unto' the house of the Lord."— Jer. 17 :24-26. 

"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing 
thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a de- 
light, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour 
Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleas- 
ure, nor speaking thine own words : then shalt thou delight 
thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the 
high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of 
Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." 
— Isa. 58:13, 14. 

Plentiful blessings, full of richness, come to 
the soul that thus ceases from its own works, and 
lets God work for it. When we bear our own bur- 
dens and do our own work, deadness and loss are 
the result; when we rest in the Lord, riches and 
victory follow. 

This is further illustrated in the Sabbath of the 
seventh year which was enjoined upon the Israel- 
ites ; and the Sabbath of the year of jubilee, which 
occurred every fiftieth year. 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When 
ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land 
keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy 
field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather 
in the fruit thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a sab- 
bath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord : thou 
shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That 
which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt 
not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: 
for it is a year of rest unto the land." — Lev. 25:1-5. 

"And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto 
thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven 
sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years, 



REST OF SOUL. 79 



Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound, 
on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atone- 
ment shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your 
land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim 
liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants 
thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return 
every man unto his pose*;sion, and ye shall return every man 
unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto 
you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of 
itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed." 
—Lev. 25:8-11. 

This typifies the quietude of faith, when the 

full rest is reached for everything, and when the 

soul has no need to carry burdens or do work. 

"And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh 
year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: 
then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, 
and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall 
sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth 
year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store." 
—Lev. 25:20-22. 

Notice the question of unbelief in verse 20, 

"What shall we eat?" and the answer in verse 22, 

"ye shall eat of the old fruit; "type of the store 

that is laid up for us in Christ, who is made unto 

us " wisdom and righteousness and sanctification 

and redemption." 

"And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for 
thee and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired 
servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, and 
for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all 
the increase thereof be meat." — Lev. 25:6. 

In divine things our "keeping of Sabbaths" 
brings to us our richest blessings. Our very rest 
is "meat" for us, and for all who belong to us. 
Moreover our resting is a " feast" to the Lord. 

" Speak unto tjie children pf Israel, and say unto tl^em, 



80 BIBLE READINGS. 

Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim 
to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days 
shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of 
rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is 
the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." — Lev. 23:2, 3. 

On the days of the Lord's feasts, no work was 

to be done. Notice the expression so frequently 

used in this 23d chapter of Leviticus, "ye shall 

do no servile work therein," see verses 7, 8, 21, 

25, 35, 36. There are many Christians who try 

to keep the feasts of the Lord by doing " servile 

work;" that is, work which is done from duty only, 

and not from love; work which is a "great cross" 

and a " heavy burden," and which would not be 

done at all, if the soul could hope to get to Heaven 

by any other pathway. 

" And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that 
same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his peo- 
ple. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for 
ever throughout your generations, in all your dwellings. 
It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest."— Lev. 23:30-32, 

We can not feast while those we love are toil- 
ing ; and neither can our God. 

"And David said to Solomon, My son, as forme, it was in 
my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my 
God: but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou 
hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou 
shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed 
much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall 
be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give 
him rest from all his enemies round about : for his name 
shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto 
Israel in his days. He shall build an house for my name: 
and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will 
establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever." — I 
Chron. 22:8-10. 

The Lord can not make His abode in the miclst 



REST OF SOUL. 81 



of conflict and unrest; and we can not know His 
abiding presence in the inward temple of our 
hearts, while our experience is only one of conflict. 
An interior rest must be realized before this in- 
ward divine union can be known. 

" For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inherit- 
ance, which the Lord your God giveth you. But when ye 
go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your 
God giveth you to inherit, and when He giveth you rest from 
all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; then 
there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose, 
to cause His name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all 
that I command you." — Deut. 12:9-11. 

"David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help 
Solomon his son, saying, is not the Lord your God with you? 
and hath He not given you rest on every side? for He hath 
given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand ; and the 
land is subdued before the Lord, and before His people. 
Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; 
arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, 
to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, arid the holy 
vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name 
of the Lord."— I Chron. 22:17-19. 

The Lord rests when we rest. 

"Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting-place, 
thou and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, 
be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in good- 
ness."— II Chron. 6 :41. 

" For the Lord hath chosen Zion ; He hath desired it for 
His habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; 
for I have desired it."— Ps. 132:13, 14. 

A mother can not rest while her little ones are 
toiling or bearing burdens. She must see them 
all at rest before she herself can be comfortable. 
And just so it is with our God. 

There are two conditions to soul-rest expressed 
in the two following verses: 



82 BIBLE READINGS. 



" Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and 
ye shall find rest to your souls." 

" We which have believed do enter into rest." 

Surrender, faith, and obedience are necessary 
at every step of the divine progress, and nowhere 
more necessary than here. Without them rest 
is simply impossible, in the very nature of things. 
The little child rests in its mother, only when it 
yields unquestioning submission to her control, 
and trusts implicitly in her love. The ox that 
yields to the yoke without chafing, rests under it; 
while the young bullock, " unaccustomed to the 
yoke," finds it a galling burden. Truly many 
Christians have less sense than the dumb animals; 
for the animals, when they find the yoke inevit- 
able, yield to it and it becomes easy, while we are 
tempted to chafe and worry under it as long as 
life lasts. 

Learn to " take" the yoke upon you. Do not 
wait for it to be forced on you; but bow your neck 
to it willingly, and "take" it. Say " Yes, Lord" 
to each expression of His will in all the circum- 
stances of your lives. Say it with full consent to 
everything ; to the loss of your money, or the loss 
of your health, or to the malice of enemies 
or the cruelty of friends. Take each yoke as it 
comes, and in the taking you will find rest. 

Notice the expressions in Matt. 11:28, 29, "I 
will give you rest," and "ye shall find rest." This 



BEST OF SOUL. 83 



rest can not be earned, nor bought, nor attained. 
It is simply given by God, and found by us. And 
all who thus come to Christ in the way of surren- 
der and trust, " find" it without any effort. They 
" enter into rest." 

For in His presence there is never any unrest. 

" And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will 
give thee rest."— Exod. 33:14. 

The mere presence of the mother is perfect rest 
to the little babe, no matter what tumult or dan- 
ger may surround it. And, if we only knew Him, 
God's presence would be perfect rest to us. 

"When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?" 
—Job 34:29. 

Among the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mount- 
ains, not far from the busy whirl of San Fran- 
cisco, the great metropolis of the Pacific coast, 
lies Lake Tahoe. It is twenty-three miles long, 
ten miles wide, and so deep that the line at nine- 
teen hundred feet does not touch bottom ; and it 
lies five thousand feet above the neighbouring 
ocean. Storms come and go in lower waters, but 
this lake the while is so still and its water so 
clear that the eye can penetrate, it is said, a hun- 
dred feet into its depths. A bell can be heard 
for ten or twenty miles. Around its mild verdant 
sides are the mountains, ever crowned with snow. 
The sky above is as calm as the motionless water. 
Nature loses scarcely anything of its clear outline 



M BIBLE READINGS. 

as it is reflected there. Here the soul may 
learn something of what rest is, as day after day 
one opens one's heart to let the sweet influences 
of nature's Sabbath enter and reign. And this is 
but a faint type of what we may find in Christ. 

In the pressure of the greatest responsibilities, 
in the worry of the smallest cares, in the per- 
plexity of life's moments of crisis, we may have 
the Lake Tahoe rest in the fastnesses of God's 
will. Learn to live in this rest; and in the calm 
of spirit which it will give, your soul will reflect 
as in a mirror the "beauty of the Lord," and the 
tumult of men's lives will be calmed in your 
presence as your tumults have been calmed in the 
presence of God. 

" And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the 
effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. 
And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in 
sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places." — Isa* 32: 17, 18. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



VII. 

SUBJECT— CONSECRATION, OR SURRENDER 

OF THE WILL TO GOD. 

Foundation Text. — I beseech you therefore, brethren, by 
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a 
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which 
is your reasonable service. And be not con- 
formed to this world: but be ye transformed by 
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove 
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect 
will of God."— Rom. 12:1, 2. 

However widely Christians may differ on other 
subjects, however divergent may be their "views" 
of truth or of doctrine, there is one point upon 
which every thoughtful soul will agree; and that 
is, the fact that we all, without reference to our 
" views" or " doctrines," are called to an entire 
surrender of ourselves to the will of God. We 
are made for union with Him, and the only path- 
way to this must of course be a perfect harmony 
between our will and His. For " how can two 
walk together except they be agreed?" 

Therefore God's commands to us to be holy, are 
all based upon the fact that Ho to whom we belong 
is holy. 
" But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in 
(85) 



86 BIBLE READINGS. 

all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy: 
for I am holy."— I Pet. 1:15, 16. 

"For I am the lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify 
yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: 
neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creep- 
ing thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the Lord 
that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your 
God: ye shall therefore be hoi v, for I am hoi v." — Lev. 11: 
44, 45. 

In order to be one with Him, which is our final 

destiny, we must be like Him in character; and 

since He is holy, we can not be "partakers of His 

nature," without ourselves being holy also. 

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, Saying, Speak unto all 
the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, 
Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy." — Lev. 
19:1, 2. 

" Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy : for I am 
the Lord your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do 
them: I am the Lord which sanctify you." — Lev. 20:7, 8. 

It is because we are the Lord's, and not in order 
that we may become His, that we are called to be 
holy. " I am the Lord your God," is always the 
ground of the appeal. Not, " I will be your God, 
if you will be holy," but " Be ye holy because I 
already am the Lord your God." 

Notice the " therefores" in this connection. 

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in 
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." — I Cor. 6:20. 

" Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us 
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God." — II Cor. 7:1. 

It is because we have been bought with a price, 
and not in order to induce our Lord to buy us, 
that we are urged to holiness. 

" Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 



CONSECRATION. 87 



upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore 
the world knoweth us not, because it knew Hiin not. Be- 
loved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet ap- 
pear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall ap- 
pear, we shall be like Hiin; for we shall see Him as He is. 
And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself , 
even as He is pure." — I John 3:1-3. 

Having such a hope as this of being one day 
like Him, we are incited now to purify ourselves 
even as He is pure. 

The preliminary step to consecration, therefore, 
must be to settle once for all the question as to 
whether we belong to the Lord or not, and whether 
the promises of the gospel are really ours. And 
then, when this is settled, let us " therefore" pre- 
sent ourselves in glad and loving surrender to the 
Divine Master who laid down His life to make us 
His own. 

The children of Israel were not called upon to 
consecrate themselves until after they were saved 
from Egypt. The law could not be given while 
they w r ere in bondage to Pharaoh. Therefore in 
their history, which is a wonderful type of our 
spiritual life, they came to consecration only after 
many other steps had been taken. 

We can trace these steps in the four books of 
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 

In Exodus they came out of Egypt; answering 
to our deliverance from the bondage of sin. 

In Leviticus they received the commands of 
God as to how they should order their worship 



BIBLE HEADINGS. 



and their lives in the land of promise into which 
God was leading them. 

In Numbers they failed through unbelief to 
enter into the promised land, and in consequence 
wandered in the wilderness forty years ; answering 
to the common Christian experience of failure and 
wandering. 

In Deuteronomy they came a second time to the 
borders of the land, and were called to an entire 
consecration, before they could enter in. The 
commands of God were rehearsed by Moses, 
and they were asked if they would keep and do 
them ; and this is therefore the book of consecra- 
tion. 

" Now therefore hearken, O Israel, nnto the statutes and 
unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that 
ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord 
God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the 
word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught 
from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord 
your God which I command you." — Deut. 4:1, 2. 

" Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the 
judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach 
you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to pos- 
sess it: that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep 
all His statutes and His commandments, which I command 
thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy 
life; and that thy days maybe prolonged. Hear therefore, 
O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, 
and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy 
fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk 
and honey."— Deut. 6:1-3. 

" And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of 
thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, 
and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of 
the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day 
for thy good."— Deut. 10:12, 13. 



CONSECRATION. 



Consecration means just what the book of 
Deuteronomy teaches, that we should surrender 
ourselves to the Lord, to hear, and keep, and do 
His will. It means the choosing of His will be- 
fore everything else. It means saying " Yes" to 
Him throughout the whole range of our being. 
It means the leaving of one's whole self in His 
hands, to be dealt with as He shall please. It 
means the surrender of all liberty of choice, ex- 
cept the liberty to choose His will and His way. 

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not 
worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than 
me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and 
folio weth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findethhis 
life shall lose it : and he that loseth his life for my sake shall 
find it."— Matt. 10:37-39. 

" Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come 
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and 
follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and 
whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For 
what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for 
his soul?"— Matt. 16:24-26. 

" If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and 
mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, 
and his own life also, he can not be my disciple. And who- 
soever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, can not be 
my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, 
sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he hath 
sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the 
foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it be- 
gin to mock him, saying, This man began fob uild, and was 
not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against 
another king, sitteth not down first, aud consulteth whether 
he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against 
him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is a 
great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth condi- 
tions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that f or- 
saketh not all that he hath, he can not be my disciple." — 
Luke 14:26-33. 



90 BIBLE READINGS. 

In these passages our Lord Himself tells us 
what consecration means. And in another passage 
He shows us that it must not be a pretense, a con- 
secration of words only, nor even a consecration of 
religious service only; but that it must be a reality, 
in the daily doing of the will of God. 

" Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my 
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy 
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many won- 
derful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never 
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquitv." — Matt. 
7:21-23. 

God's purpose in our redemption was our entire 
consecration. Christians too often look upon con- 
secration as something extra added on to salva- 
tion, not necessarily an essential part; and there- 
fore think it is optional with them to enter into it 
or not, as they may please. Whereas the Bible 
declares that salvation is nothing, if it does not 
ultimately lead to holiness; for salvation in God's 
thought is holiness. 

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited 
and redeemed His people. And hath raised up a horn of sal- 
vation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spake 
by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since 
the world began: that we should be saved from onr enemies, 
and from the hand of all that hate us: to perform the mercy 
promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; 
the oath which He sware to our father Abraham, that He 
would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand 
of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness 
and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life." — 
Luke 1:68-75. 

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His 
name Jesus : for He shall save His people from their sins." — 
Matt. 1:21. 



CONSECRATION. 91 

"Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent 
Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his 
iniquities." — Acts 3:26. 

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap- 
peared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and 
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, 
in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the 
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us 
from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, 
zealous of good works." — Titus 2:11-14 

It is very striking to notice that of the many 
announcements made concerning the work Christ 
came to accomplish, nearly every one declares it 
to be the deliverance from sin, rather than the 
escape of punishment. It is a salvation to holiness, 
rather than a salvation to Heaven. Of course 
punishment is escaped, and Heaven is gained, in 
the nature of things, when we are saved from sin; 
since the greater always involves the less. But 
the vital thing in the redemption of Christ is evi- 
dently the redemption "from all iniquity," and 
the "purifying unto Himself a peculiar people 
zealous of good works." 

" And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my 
peoplo which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason 
of their taskmakers; for I know their sorrows; and I am 
come do^n to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, 
and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and 
a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto 
the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amor- 
ites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites." 
— Exod. 3:7, 8. 

The thought of God in the deliverance of Israel 
was not that they should wander in the wilder- 
ness, but that they should be brought into the 



92 BIBLE READINGS. 

promised land; which land typifies the life of full 

consecration. 

Entire consecration therefore is binding upon 

every Christian, and sooner or later each one 

must come to know it. 

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which 
no man shall see the Lord./ — Heb. 12:14. 

Our Lord teaches us this in the contrast He 

draws between the house built on the rock, and 

the one built on the sand. 

" Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and 
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which buiit 
his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it 
fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that 
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be 
likened uoto a foolish man, which built his house upon the 
sand: and the rain, descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great 
was the fall of it."— Matt. 7:24-27. 

"Building on the rock" here evidently means the 
hearing and doing the will of God; while "building 
on the sand" was the hearing but doing it not. The 
contrast was between consecration and no conse- 
cration. There is therefore no alternative. If we 
would have our house to stand, w r e must be conse- 
crated, for without consecration it will fall, and 
" great will be the fall of it."' 

In Deuteronomy 28th chapter, we have a strik- 
ing confirmation of this, in the contrast there 
drawn between those who "hearken unto the voice 
of the Lord to observe and do all His command- 
ments," and those who "will not hearken." 



CON SEC R A TION. 



" And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently 
unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all 
His commandments which I command thee this day, that the 
Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the 
earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and over- 
take thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy 
God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt 
thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, 
and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the 
increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed 
shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be 
when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou 
goest out." — Beut. 28:1-6. 

" But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto 
the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His com- 
mandments and His statutes which I command thee this 
day ; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake 
thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou 
be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 
Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy 
land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 
Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt 
thou bo when thou goest out." — Deut. 28:15-19. 

It is deeply interesting to read the whole chap- 
ter through with this contrast in mind. We 
should make a spiritual application o£ the bless- 
ings and curses spoken of. Our enemies are 
spiritual enemies; our possessions are spiritual 
riches; our sight or our blindness are the sight 
or blindness of the soul; our diseases are the 
diseases of sin; our hunger and nakedness are 
spiritual; and our bondage is the bondage of the 
spirit. As a matter of fact every Christian can 
testify to the truth of one or the other of these 
descriptions. Those who know what it is to be 
consecrated, know also that the promised blessings 
have been theirs ; and on the other hand those who 
have not consecrated themselves, know only too 



94 BIBLE READINGS. 

well how much of the consequent loss and failure 
have come into their spiritual lives. 

Consecration brings the soul into relations of 
infinite blessedness to the Lord. 

" He that hath nay commandments, and keepeth them, he 
it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of 
my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to 
him. Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that 
thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me he will 
keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will 
come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that lov- 
eth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye 
hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." — John 
14:21-24. 

" Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." 
—John 15:14. 

" For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my 
brother, and my sister, and mother." — Mark 3:35. 

To be His "friends," to know His conscious 

indwelling presence, to be as it were His "brother 

and sister and mother," all these things are surely 

full of unspeakable worth to our souls. 

"And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain 
woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto 
Him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which 
thou hast sucked. But He said, Yea, rather, blessed are 
they that hear the word of God, and keep it." — Luke 11 :27, 28. 

We may have wished often, in our love for our 

Divine Master, that we could have held Him in 

our arms and pressed him to our bosoms, but here 

we see that a present life of consecration is more 

to be desired than even this. 

" Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep 
my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me 
above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be 
unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." — Exod. 
19:5, 6. 



CONSECRATION. 95 



Only a consecrated soul can know the joy of 
being God's "peculiar treasure." And only a 
consecrated soul can know clearly the will of God, 
for obedience is the universal key to knowledge. 

"If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, 
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." — 
John 7:17. 

" The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and 
He will show them His covenant." — Ps. 25:14. 

Consecration brings rejoicing. At the first 

sight of it, the soul shrinks and is afraid ;but when 

it has looked more deeply into the beauty and 

blessedness of the will of God, it learns to rejoice. 

This was the case of the Israelites in Nehemiah's 

time. 

" So they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly, 
and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the read- 
ing. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the 
priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said 
unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; 
mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they 
heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go 
your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions 
unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy 
unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord 
is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, say- 
ing, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye 
grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to 
drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, be- 
cause they had understood the words that were declared unto 
them."— Neh. 8:8-12. 

After a time of long backsliding on the part of 

the children of Israel, during which the book of 

God's law had been lost sight of, it was found 

again, and the people had all been assembled in 

the public square of the city to hear it read. At 

first they wept, but as they understood it better, 



96 BIBLE READINGS. 

they saw it was a cause of rejoicing and not of 

sorrow, and they made "great mirth because they 

had understood the words that were declared unto 

them." 

God's will is always our highest joy. He 

would have us always to " rejoice in our feasts." 

"And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in 
Egypt : and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. Thou 
shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that 
thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: and thou shalt 
rejoice in thy feasts, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, 
and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, 
the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are 
within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast 
unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall 
choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine 
increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou 
shalt surely rejoice.' 7 — Deut. 16: 12-15. 

In fact, how can we do other than love the will 
of our God when we become acquainted with Him, 
and learn to know that His will is the will of in- 
finite love and must be therefore infinitely lovely. 
No most loving mother's will for her child was 
ever half so lovely as this sweet beloved will of 
our God for us. It is something to delight in, 
instead of to fear; and the words " Thy will be 
done," when once we understand them, become 
the dearest words our lips can utter. 

" Then said I, Lo, I come : in the volume of the book it 
is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, 
thy law is within my heart." — Ps. 40:7,13. 

" Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of Him 
that sent me, and to finish His work." — John 4:34. 

Do we "delight" to do God's will? Is it our 

"meat" to do it? 



CONSECRATION 97 

We need to watch against a " grudging service." 
The enemy is always trying to get in the word 
duty instead of the word delight ; he says a stern 
"you must" instead of the loving "you may." 
When a mother cares for her child from duty only, 
the tender sweetness of the mother love has gone. 
When the husband or wife begin to say "I ought" 
instead of "I delight to" in their relations towards 
one another, the home becomes a prison. There 
is no slavery like the slavery of love, but its chains 
are sweet. It knows nothing of " sacrifice," no 
matter what may be given up. It " delights to do 
the will" of the beloved one. 

Our Lord can never be satisfied until this is 
the attitude of our souls towards Him. His pur- 
poses of grace for us are that there should be har- 
mony between our wills and His ; not two wills 
crossing one another, but two wills made one. 

Has it become so with us as yet; can we say 
that it is our " meat" to do His will? 

If not, the choice is before us now, and we must 

decide it. 

" Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 
a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your 
God, which I command you this day: and a curse if ye will 
not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn 
aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go 
after other gods, which ye have not known." — Deut. 11:26-28. 

May the Lord enable us to settle the question 

at once and forever on the side of His will and 

not our own! 

7 



98 BIBLE READINGS. 

The process of consecration is shown us in 

Deuteronomy. 

"This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do 
these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and 
do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou 
hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk 
in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His command- 
ments, and His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice : 
and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar 
people, as He bath promised thee, and that thou shouldest 
keep all His commandments; and to make thee high above 
all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name, and 
in honour; and that tbou may est be a holy people unto the 
Lord thy God, as He hath spoken."— Deut. 26:16-19. 

First, God's command in verse 16. 

Second, our surrender in verse 17. 

Third, God's response in verses 18 and 19. 

When we have heard the call to surrender, and 
have avouched the Lord to be our God, and that 
we will walk in His ways and keep His command- 
ments, He always avouches us to be His peculiar 
people, and declares that He will make us holy. 
And from that moment, He takes full possession 
of us. What can He do but take possession of 
the soul, that surrenders itself to Him ? And of 
course He sanctifies that which is thus His own. 
The law of offerings to the Lord settles this as a 
primary fact, that everything which is given 
to Him, becomes by that very act something holy, 
set apart from all other things for His use alone. 

" Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall de- 
vote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, 
and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: 
every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord," — Lev. 27:28. 



CONSECRATION. 99 



Having once given it to the Lord, the devoted 

thing thenceforth was reckoned by all Israel as 

being His, and no one dared stretch forth a hand 

to retake it. 

" He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither 
shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and 
the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed." 
—Lev. 27:33. 

The giver might have felt his offering to be a 
very poor one, or to have been very poorly made; 
bub having made it, the matter was taken out of 
his hands altogether, and the devoted thing, by 
God's own law, became " most holy unto the Lord." 
It was not the intention of the giver nor the qual- 
ity of the gift that made it holy, but the holiness 
of the receiver. God's possession of anything 
sanctifies it. " The altar sanctifies the gift." 

Having consecrated ourselves therefore to the 
Lord, we must from that moment reckon always 
that we are the Lord's, no matter what the "seem- 
ings" may be. We must refuse to admit a ques- 
tion or a doubt, but must choose always with an 
unfaltering purpose of heart to have no will but 
the will of God. We may not always feel as if we 
were consecrated, but we may always choose to be, 
and it is the attitude of our will, and not the state 
of our emotions, that is the vital thing in our soul 
life. If in my will I choose to be all the Lord's, 
then it is a fact that I am ail His, no matter how 
I may feel about it. We need therefore to attend 



100 BIBLE READINGS. 

only to the state of the will in this matter of con- 
secration. 

Let us make then a hearty renunciation of our 
wills to God, and let us from this time onward ac- 
cept His will as our only portion. 

I believe it is safest to come to a definite point 
in this matter, and to make a definite transaction 
of it. 

A great many Christians acknowledge that they 
ought to do it, and are always meaning to do it; 
but because they do not come to the definite point 
of doing it, it is never really done. I may want 
and intend to give a gift to a friend with all the 
earnestness possible, but until I come to the point 
of actually giving it, it will still remain in my 
own possession. 

If we mean to obey the command with which 
our lesson opens, when could we find a better time 
than now ? Every hour that we delay we are hold- 
ing ourselves back from blessing, and are griev- 
ing the heart of our Lord. 

" Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day 
unto the Lord?"— I Chron. 29:5. 

Laid on thine altar, Oh my Lord divine, 
Accept my gift this day, for Jesus' sake; — 
I have no jewels to adorn thy shrine, 
Nor any world-famed sacrifice to make, — 
But here I bring within my trembling hand 
This will of mine,— a thing that seemeth small, 
And only thou, sweet Lord, canst understand 
How, when I yield thee this, I yield mine all! 
Hidden therein, thy searching eye can see 
Struggles of passion, visions of delight, 



CONSECRATION. 101 



All that I love, or am, or fain would be, — 

Deep loves, fond hopes, and longings infinite. 

It hath been wet with tears and dimmed with sighs, 

Clenched in my grasp, till beauty it hath none. 

Now from thy footstool, where it vanquished lies, 

The prayer ascendeth, May thy will be done. 

Take it, oh Father, ere my courage fail ; 

And merge it so in thine own will, that e'en 

If in some desperate hour my cries prevail, 

And thou give back my gift, it may have been 

So changed, so purified, so fair have grown, 

So one with thee, so filled with peace divine, 

I may not know or feel it as mine own, 

But, gaining back my will, may find it thine. 



BIBLE READINGS. 

VIII. 

SUBJECT— BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 

Foundation Text.— Be careful for nothing; but in every- 
thing by prayer and supplication, with thanks- 
giving, let your requests be made known unto 
God: and the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds 
through Christ Jesus" — Phil. 4:6, 7. 

Eef er to the Revised Version and notice the 
change in the wording, as bringing out the true 
thought of this command, "In nothing be anxious." 
It is not meant to teach carelessness, but care 
without anxiety. 

Notice the word " nothing" as covering all pos- 
sible grounds for anxiety, both inward and out- 
ward. We are continually tempted to think it is 
our duty to be anxious about some things. Per- 
haps our thought will be, "Oh yes, it is quite 
right to give up all anxiety in a general way ; and 
in spiritual matters of course anxiety is wrong ; 
but there are things about which it would be a sin 
not to be anxious — about our children, for in- 
stance, or those we love, or about our church af- 
fairs and the cause of truth, or about our business 
matters. It would show a great want of right 
103 



104 BIBLE READINGS. 

feeling not to be anxious about such things as 
these." Or else our thoughts take the other tack, 
and we say to ourselves, "Yes, it is quite right to 
commit our loved ones and all our outward affairs 
to the Lord, but when it comes to our inward 
lives, our religious experiences, our temptations, 
our besetting sins, bur growth in grace, and all 
such things, these we ought to be anxious about, 
for if we are not, they will be sure to be neg- 
lected." 

To such suggestions, and to all similar ones, 
the answer is found in our text — " In nothing be 
anxious." 

There is no getting away from this upon any 
subterfuge whatever. All the "seemings" may 
call for an apparently rightful anxiety, but God 
knows, and He says "nothing," and that settles 
it forever. 

Our Lord develops this, and shows us the reason 

why we are not to be anxious, in His sermon on 

the mount. 

'• Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, 
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink: nor yet for your 
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than 
meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of 
the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather 
into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye 
not much better than they ? Which of you by takin g thought 
can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye 
thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how 
they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I 
say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not 
arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the 
grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into 



BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 105 

the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little 
faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we 
eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be 
clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) 
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all 
these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and 
His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto 
you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the 
morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Suf- 
ficient unto the day is the evil thereof." — Matt. 6:25-34. 

The illustrations here used are such as we can 
not misunderstand. The birds and the flowers 
are before us continually, as living examples of 
what real trust is. With them of course it is un- 
conscious trust, but with us it must be an intelli- 
gent and conscious act. One who had learned 
this lesson, thus writes concerning it. 

" Long years ago I was in the act of kneeling 
down before the Lord my God, when a little bird 
in the lightest, freest humor, came and perched 
near my window, and thus preached to me, all the 
while hopping from spray to spray, " Oh thou 
grave man, look on me and learn something. Thy 
God made me, and if thou canst conceive it, He 
loves me, and cares for me. Thou studiest Him 
in great problems which oppress and confound 
thee, and thou losest sight of one-half of His 
ways. Learn to see thy God, not in great mys- 
teries only, but in me also. His burden on me is 
light, His yoke on me is easy, for I have only to 
submit to Him and trust. But thou makest yokes 
and burdens for thyself, which are grievous to be 
borne, because thou wilt neither submit nor trust. 



106 BIBLE READINGS. 

I advise thee to follow my example, as thy Master 
commanded thee to do. Consider that the bird 
and the flower are as really from God as thou art; 
and that their lives are figures of something which 
He wants to see in thee also. Behold the fowls 
of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, 
nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father 
feedeth them." 

" Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of 
God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your 
care upon Him; for He careth for you." — I Peter 5:6, 7. 

We all know the relief it is to lay off a care or 

a burden upon an earthly friend whom we trust. 

And just like this, only infinitely greater, is the 

relief that comes to the soul that has " cast all its 

care" upon the Lord. 

" Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain 
thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." — 
Ps. 55:22. 

Most Christians act like the man in the story 
who was walking along a road bowed down under 
a heavy burden, and was invited to ride by a kind 
friend, passing in a wagon. He accepted the in- 
vitation, but still kept the load on his shoulders, 
and when asked by his friend why he did not lay 
it on the floor of the wagon, replied: " Oh, it is a 
great deal to ask of you to carry me; I could not 
think of asking you to carry my burden too ! " 
" I have laid help upon one that is mighty." — Ps. 89:19. 
That is, He, upon whom our cares are to be 
cast, is able to bear them, no matter how great 



BE* CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 107 

they may be. And yet we, who trust our choicest 
things often to our fellow-men and feel no fear, 
are afraid to trust our Lord. 

" Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble 
knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, 
fear not."— Isa, 35:3, 4. 

" Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for 
I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; 
yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteous- 
ness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall 
be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and 
they that strive with thee shall perish." 

" Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them 
that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall 
be as nothing, and as a thing of naught. For I the Lord 
thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; 
I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men 
of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, 
the Holy One of Israel."— Isa. 41:10-14. 

Think of the blessed confidence with which chil- 
dren cast their cares off upon their parents, with- 
out a fear, and recall how the parents love to have it 
so. How often a mother, when her child is tempted 
to be anxious or worried over the carrying out of 
a plan, will say, "There, darling, do not worry; 
leave it all to me and I will attend to it. Only 
trust me, and do as I say, and all will come 
right." 

The only thing that a mother asks of her child 
is that it will yield to her care and obey her voice, 
and then she will take charge of all the rest. And 
just so it is with us and our God. 

" If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of 
the land."— Isa. 1:19. 

" Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall 
say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall 
speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. And the 



108 BIBLE READINGS. 

Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; 
and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the 
words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they 
have well said all that they have spoken. O that there were 
such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all 
my commandments always, that it might be well with them, 
and with their children for ever ! " — Deut. 5 :27-29. 

" Then they said unto Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and 
faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to 
all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to 
us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey 
the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that 
it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord 
our God."— Jer. 42:5, 6. 

No mother can make all things go right for a 

disobedient child, and neither can God, in the 

very nature of things. 

" But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel 
would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' 
lust: and they walked in their own counsels." — Ps. 81:11, 12 # 

If we will carry our own cares, and manage 
things in our own way, and walk '* in our own 
counsels," sorrow and suffering can not fail to be 
the result. 

" Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto 
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, 
and He shall direct thy paths." — Prov. 3:5, 6. 

A little girl I knew, once brought a bag without 
a string to her mother to have one supplied. The 
mother agreed to do it, and threading a bodkin with 
a string, began to push it through the hem. The 
child had expected her mother to sew the string 
on at each side of the bag like a handle, and when 
she saw the bodkin and string both disappearing 
inside the hem she was puzzled and distressed. 



BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 109 

She watched it a moment, and then said plain- 
tively, " I think my mamma might put a string 
to my bag when she said she would." The mother 
looked up from her work re-assuringly and said, 
" Do not be troubled, darling, I am putting the 
string in all right." The child watched silently 
for a few more moments, and still no sign of the 
string appearing, as it was a little difficult to push 
through the narrow hem, the tears began to gather, 
and again the plaintive voice whispered, "I thought 
my mamma was a good mamma, and knew how to 
put on strings!" This time the mother saw there 
was a real need of comfort and she explained more 
fully. "See, darling," she said, "I do know how to 
put a string to a bag, and this is the best way. 
Just trust me and wait, and it will all come out 
right." 

The child waited, and in a few moments the 
string was pushed through, a knot was tied, and 
the bag hung triumphantly on the little arm. The 
child looked thoughtfully at it, and then said, 
"Oh I see. It is just like Jesus. We give Him 
something to do, and He don't seem to be doing 
it right, and we are just going to worry; and then 
we think, 'Oh' Jesus knows how' ; and we just 
trust Him and wait, and it comes out all right at 
last." 

" Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that 
build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh 
but in vain* It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late ; 



110 BIBLE READINGS. 

to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved 
sleep."— Ps. 127:1, 2. 

All our care is vain unless the Lord shall take 

the care also. And our worry is all a waste if 

He does take it. If a mother sits up late and 

rises early in order to bear her child's burdens, it 

is that the child may rest; and it would grieve 

her sorely to have the child also try to carry the 

burdens, as well. 

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, be- 
lieve also in me. ***** p e ace I leave with you, my 
peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I 
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be 
afraid."— John 14:1, 27. 

Here the Master commands us not to be troubled 
or afraid. So that every time we yield to anxiety 
or fear we are disobeying Him. 

There are three instances recorded where our 
Lord rebuked the little faith of His disciples ; and 
yet in each case the circumstances were such as 
to make anxiety seem the natural and proper thing. 
They were certainly such as would cause great 
anxiety in many Christian hearts now. 

First it was in a storm at sea. 

" And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, inso- 
much that the ship was covered with the waves : but He was 
asleep. And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, 
saying, Lord, save us : we perish. And He said unto them, 
Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and 
rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." 
—Matt. 8:24-26. 

Their fear led them to cry to Him, and yet 
He rebukes it. They ought to have known that, 
with Him aboard, they could not be other than 



BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. Ill 

safe, and they ought to have rested in quiet con- 
fidence through the storm. 

The second instance was when Peter found 
himself sinking in the waters. 

" And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked 
on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind 
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, 
saying, Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretched 
forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou 
of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? "—Matt. 14:29-31. 

The third was when the disciples were troubled 

because they had no bread. 

" Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, O ye 
of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye 
have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither 
remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many 
baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four 
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?" — Matt. 
16:8-10. 

Here Jesus refers them to past experiences, 
when He had supplied all their need, as a reason 
why they should trust Him now. And I am sure 
He was grieved at the doubts of His disciples, just 
as we are grieved when those whom we love and 
whom we are trying to serve, are anxious and fear- 
ful about the things we have undertaken to do for 
them. 

Three instances from the Old Testament will 

illustrate our lesson. The first is the story of 

Hagar when she was sent out from her home into 

the wilderness, apparently to die. 

" And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took 
bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting 
it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she 
departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 



112 BIBLE READINGS. 



and the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child 
under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down 
over against him a good way off, as it were a bow-shot: for 
she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat 
over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God 
heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to 
Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, 
Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad 
where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine 
hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened 
her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled 
the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink." — Gen. 
21:1^-19. 

The second was when Elijah went, during the 

time of famine, to the house of the widow. 

" So he arose, and went to Zarephath. And when he 
came to the gate of the city, beho'd, the widow woman was 
there gathering of sticks : and he called to her, and said. Fetch 
me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her and said, 
Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And 
she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but 
an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, 
behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress 
it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah 
said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but 
make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and 
after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord 
God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither 
shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth 
rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the 
saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat 
many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did 
the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which 
He spake by Elijah."— I Kings 17:12-16. 

The third was when the army of Syria encom- 
passed the city where dwelt the man of God. 

" And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, 
and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with 
horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, 
my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: 
for they that be with us are more than they that be with 
them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open 
his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of 



BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 113 

the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was 
full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." — II 
ICings 6:15-17. 

The causes for anxiety in each of these cases 
were very great, but God was in each instance be- 
hind the scene with His perfect supply, and those 
who were afraid only needed to have their "eyes 
opened" to see it, and be delivered from all their 
fears. 

What then is our part in this matter? 

" Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in 
the land, and verily thou shalt be fed . Delight thyself also 
in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He 
shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteous- 
ness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest 
in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself be- 
cause of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man 
who bringeth wicked devices to pass."— Ps. 37:3-7. 

Seven things are mentioned here. Trust in the 
Lord; do good; delight thyself in Him; commit 
thy way unto Him; rest in Him; wait patiently 
for Him; and finally, fret not thyself. 

" Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? 
or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your 
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these 
things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His 
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 
Matt. 6:31-33. 

Our part then is to seek first the kingdom of 

God and His righteousness. That is, we must 

make it the first object of our lives to accept His 

will and to do it under all circumstances, and then 

simply trust Him for all the rest. No one can, in 

the very nature of things, be "careful for nothing," 

8 



114 BIBLE READINGS. 

who is not fully surrendered to the Lord ; for un- 
less we are satisfied with His will, we can not trust 
Him to manage for us. 

" that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had 
walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their ene- 
mies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The 
haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto 
Him: but their time should have endured for ever. He 
should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and 
with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee."— 
Ps. 81:13-16. 

There is no way therefore but the way of full 
surrender and simple childlike obedience. The 
Lord knows what is best, we do not; therefore we 
must leave the arrangements all to Him, and must 
say, ; 'Thy will be done," about everything. 

Remember, that all questioning is of the nature 

of doubt. It is called in the Bible, " speaking 

against God." 

" Tea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish 
a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote the rock, that 
the water gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can He 
give bread also? can He provide flesh for His people? There- 
fore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled 
against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel: be- 
cause they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salva- 
tion: though He had commanded the clouds from above, 
and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down 
manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of 
heaven."— Ps. 78:19-24. 

Their sorrows came upon them because they 
did not trust. God was equal to the emer- 
gency, but they did not believe it, and their doubt 
grieved Him more than all their other sins. 

" And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meri- 
bah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and 



BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING. 115 

because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us 
or not? "—Exodus 17:7. 

Here their questioning is called " tempting the 
Lord." And yet how common is just this sort of 
questioning among Christians, who little dream 
what a sin it is! 

Let our Lord's own words close our lesson. 

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? and not 
one of them is forgotten before God: but even the very hairs 
of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore: ye are 
of more value than many sparrows." — Luke 12:6, 7. 

In the face of such an assurance, who could 

doubt ? The sparrows, and the hairs of our head, 

two strikingly insignificant and valueless things! 

And yet they are noticed and cared for. Then 

surely we! 

THE SPARROW AND THE CHILD OP GOD. 

" I am only a tiny sparrow, 
A bird of low degree; 
My life is of little value, 

But the dear Lord cares for me. 

" I have no barn nor storehouse, 

I neither sow nor reap; 
God gives me a sparrow's portion, 
But never a seed to keep. 

" I know there are many sparrows, 
All over the world they are found, 
But our heavenly Father knoweth 
When one of us falls to the ground. 

" Tho' small, we are never forgotten, 
Tho' weak, we are never afraid; 
For we know the dear Lord keepeth 
The life of the creatures He made. 



116 BIBLE READINGS. 



" I fly through the thickest forest, 
I light on many a spray; 
I have no chart nor compass, 
But I never lose my way. 

" And I fold my wings at twilight 
Wherever I happen to be, 
For the Father is always watching, 
And no harm will come to me. 

" I am only a little sparrow. 
A bird of low degree, 
But I know the Father loves me; 
Have you less faith than we? " 



BIBLE READINGS. 



IX. 
SUBJECT— GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 

"Love divine, of such great loving. 

Only mothers know the cost; 
Cost of love, that, all love passing, 

Gave itself to save the lost! " 

Foundation Text. — As one whom his mother comforteth, 
so will I comfort you; and ye shall be com- 
forted in Jerusalem" — Isa. 66:13. 

We all know how a mother comforts her chil- 
dren, and have most of us tasted the sweetness of 
this comforting. Notice then, the "as" and "so" 
in this declaration, and accept the Divine Com- 
forter and the heavenly comfort. 

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth 
into singiog, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted His 
people, and will have mercy on His afflicted."— Isa. 49:13. 

"I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that 
thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the 
son of man which shall be made as grass." — Isa. 51:12. 

" For the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her 
waste places; and He will make all her wilderness like Eden, 
and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness 
shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of 
melody."— Isa. 51:3. 

" Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of 
Jerusalem : for the Lord hath comforted His people, He hath 
redeemed Jerusalem." — Isa. 52:9. 

God is called the "God of all comfort." 

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who com- 
forteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to 

(117) 



118 BIBLE READINGS. 

comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort, where- 
with we ourselves are comforted of God." — 2 Cor. 1:3-1 

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. 

" But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the 
Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, 
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you." — John 14:26. 

Christ, when He was leaving His disciples, 

provided for their comfort when He should be 

gone. 

" And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another 
Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever. * * * I 
will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.'' — John 
14:16-18. 

But some will say, if God is like a mother, and 
comforts as mothers comfort, why is it that they 
are not comforted? 

Have yon never seen a little child sitting up 
stiff in the mother's lap, and refusing to be com- 
forted, in spite of all her coaxing ? And do we 
not often act in very much the same way? 

" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, 
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would 
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gather- 
eth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" — Matt. 
23:37. 

" In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord : my sore 
ran in the night, and ceased not, my soul refused to be com- 
forted."— Ps. 77:2. 

Even a mother's love and tenderness cannot 

comfort a child that "refuses to be comforted;" 

and neither can God's. But no sorrow can be too 

great for His comfort to reach, if we will only 

take it. 

" Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 119 

death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and 
thy staff they comfort me." — Ps. 23:4. 

" Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young 
men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into 
joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their 
sorrow." — Jer. 31:15. 

If we will only listen believingly to His loving 
words: " Daughter be of good comfort;" we shall 
surely be comforted. 

There are many other ways in which God is 
like a mother, and a comparison of these points 
will, I trust, open our eyes to see some truths 
concerning Him, which have been hitherto hid- 
den from our gaze. 

I. The mother runs when the child cries, and 
listens to the story of its sorrows and its needs, 
and relieves them. 

And just so God. 

"Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shalt answer; thou 
shalt cry, and he shalt say, Here I am." — Isa. 58:9. 

The " Here I am " of the mother never fails to 

respond to the child's cry of ; ' Mother, mother, 

where are you?" And neither does God's. 

" I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me 
out of His holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awakened; 
for the Lord sustained me." — Ps. 3:4,5. 

How alert is the ear of the mother to the 

feeblest cry of her baby in the night. Let her 

be sleeping ever so soundly, and she will still hear 

the tiny cry. And how comforted and quieted 

the little one is when it realizes the mother's 

presence and can go to sleep in her care. 



120 BIBLE READINGS. 

4 "In the day when I cried thou answeredest me, and 
strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." — Ps. 138:3. 

" I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my 
voice; and He gave ear unto me." — Ps. 77:1. 

We are sometimes tempted to think that the 

Lord does not hear our prayers. But let the 

mother teach us. Could she possibly let the cry 

of her child go unheeded? And is the earthly 

mother more tender of her children, than the 

Heavenly Father is of His? 

" He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens 
which cry."— Ps. 147:9. 

Since He hears the cry of the ravens, shall He 

not hear ours? 

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He 
saved them out of their distresses." — Ps. 107:6, 13, 19, 28. 

We are tempted to think that trouble shuts 
God's ears. In times of prosperity we rejoice to 
believe He hears us, but when the dark days 
come, we moan and complain because our prayers 
do not reach Him. Which cry catches the moth- 
er's ear the soonest, the cry of joy or the cry of 
sorrow? There can be but one answer to this. 
Every mother knows that the happy noises of her 
children in the nursery pass by often unnoticed, 
but the slightest cry of pain or trouble reaches 
her ear at once. And is a mother more alert to 
the suffering of her children than God? 

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will 
answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." — Isa. 
65-24, 

Perhaps the child hardly knows why it cries, 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 121 

and cannot tell in any clear way what is the mat- 
ter with it. But the mother does not refuse, be- 
cause of this, to listen to its cry. She only seeks 
instead, all the more, to discover the cause of the 
discomfort for herself, and to remedy it. And 
surely, so must God. 

"He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that 
formed the eye, shall He not see? " — Ps. 94:9. 

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot 
save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear." — Isa. 59:1. 

Let us never grieve Him again by doubting 

that He hears us, however faint and feeble may 

be our cry. And let us be encouraged to ask as 

children do, for everything we need, sure that He 

will always hear, and will always answer (as some 

one has said), either in kind or in kindness. 

" Hitherto have ye asked nothing 1 in my name: ask and ye 
shall receive, that your joy may be full." — John 16:24. 

II. The mother carries the child in her arms 

and folds it to her bosom. 

" He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, He shall gather 
the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom." — 
Isa. 40:11. 

"And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs 
will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will 
carry, and will deliver you." — Isa. 46:4. 

Do we not act sometimes as though we thought 

we were carrying the Lord, rather than that He 

was carrying us ? And do we not go bowed down 

under this fancied burden, when we ought to be 

resting peacefully in His arms? A baby, safe in 

its mother's arms, will sometimes make little 

clutches of fright, as though its safety depended 



122 BIBLE READINGS. 

upon the strength of its tiny grasp of the mother's 
neck. But the mother knows how useless these 
are, and that it is her grasp, and not the baby's, 
that secures its safety. And surely this is true 
of us in the arms of God. 

" The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the 
everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from 
before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." — Dent. 33:27. 

The baby carried in the arms of its mother 

knows no fear, even though their path may lie 

through a howling wilderness or through raging 

enemies. The mother's arms are its impregnable 

fortress. And the "everlasting arms" of God 

can be no less. 

" In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of 
His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He 
redeemed them, and carried them all the davs of old." — Isa. 
63:9. 

"As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, 
spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on 
her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no 
strange god with him." — Deut. 32:11, 12. 

Even the eagle knows this secret of mother 

love. When the little eagles are old enough to 

learn to fly, she stirs up the nest and thrusts 

them out, that they may be driven to find the use 

of their wings. But she floats in the air under 

them, and watches them with eyes of love, and 

when she sees any little eaglet showing signs of 

weariness, she flies beneath it and spreads out 

her great strong mother wings to " bear it up " 

until it is rested and ready to fly again. And "so 

the Lord." 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 123 

All races both of men and animals instinctively 

recognize the mother's right and duty to bear 

the burden of the child she has brought into the 

world. And Moses appealed to this universal 

instinct when he complained to the Lord concerning 

the children of Israel. 

" Have I conceived all this people ? have I begotten 
them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy 
bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto 
the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?" — Num. 
11:12. 

And in rehearsing the wilderness wandering in 

" the plain over against the Red Sea," he again 

used the same figure to describe how the Lord 

had dealt with them. 

"And in the wilderness where, thou hast seen how that the 
Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all 
the way that ye went, until ye came into this place." — Deut. 
1:31. 

We cannot make any mistake then, in believing 
that the Lord carries us in His arms and folds us 
to His bosom with far more tenderness and 
watchful care than any mother ever could. 

III. The mother wipes away the tears of her 
little one. 

"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of 
water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." — 
Rev. 7:17. 

Where do the little tearful darlings run for 

comfort, but to their mother ? They know that 

no other hand can wipe away their tears as hers 

can. And have we not often seen children, when 



124 BIBLE READINGS. 

they were hurt, holding in the cry until mother 
came, because they have felt instinctively that 
nobody but "mother" could sympathize or con- 
sole? 

Shall we not then let our God wipe away the 
tears from our eyes, and give us " joy for mourn- 
ing,' 1 just as we used to let our mothers do, when 
we were in their loving care ? 

" For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes 
from tears, and my feet from falling." — Ps. 116:8. 

" He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God 
will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of 
His people shall He take away from off all the earth; for the 
Lord hath spoken it." — Isa. 25:8. 

"For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou 
shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at 
the voice of thy cry ; when He shall hear it, He will answer 
thee."— Isa. 30:19. 

" Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord 
hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard 
my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer." — Ps. 6:8, 9. 

When our Lord was on earth He was very 

tender of the tears of His people. 

"And when the Lord saw her, He had compassison on her 
and said unto her, Weep not." — Luke 7:13. 

"And all wept, and bewailed her: but He said, Weep not; 
she is not dead, but sleepeth." — Luke 8:52. 

Just as the mother says " Darling, do not cry," 
so He says to us, "Weep not." Our tears give 
Him grief. 

" When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews 
also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, 
and was troubled." — John 11:33. 

Perhaps we do not remember this enough, and 

indulge ourselves sometimes in weeping, when our 

Lord would fain wipe away our tears. Let us 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 125 

consider this, and see if for His sake, as for our 
mother's sake, we cannot dry our eyes, and try to 
bear cheerfully the sorrows He permits to come 
upon us. Have we never known what it was to re- 
strain our sorrow that we might not grieve a 
loved one? And shall we not sometimes do this 
for our Lord? 

" But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: 
for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a 
joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: 
and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor 
the voice of crying." — Isa. 65: 18, 19. 

" And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes : and 
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, 
neither shall there be any more pain : for the former things 
are passed away." — Eev. 21 :4. 

IY. The mother watches over her children in 

sickness, and does all she can to comfort and to 

heal. 

" The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languish- 
ing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness." — Ps.4 1:3. 

" If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blast- 
ing, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar; if their enemy 
besiege them in the land of their cities; v/hatsoever plague, 
whatsoever sickness there be; what prayer and supplication 
soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, 
which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, 
and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear 
thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and 
give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou 
knowest (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all 
the children of men)."— 1 Kings 8:37-39. 

Concerning our Lord it was declared that He 

had borne not our sins only, but our sicknesses as 

well. 

" When the even was come, they brought unto Him many 
that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits 
with His word, and healed all that were sick: that it might 



126 BIBLE READINGS. 

be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying", 
Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." — 
Matt.8:16,17. 

The story of His life on earth was one continual 

record of His tenderness with sickness, and His 

power and willingness to heal. 

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their syna- 
gogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and heal- 
ing all manner of sickness among the people." — Matt.4:23. 

"And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they 
knew Him, and ran through that whole region round 
about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, 
where they heard He was. And whithersoever He entered, 
into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the 
streets, and besought Him that they might touch if it were 
but the border of His garment: and as many as touched Him 
were made whole." — Mark 6:54-56. 

How literally this bearing of our sicknesses is 
to be taken, is a subject which we cannot consider 
here. There is a great difference of opinion on 
the matter. But of this I am sure, that all who 
trust Him, will find that the tenderest mother's 
love and care in sickness is only a faint picture of 
the love and care that He will bestow. 

V. The mother bears with the naughty child as 

no one else can, and finds excuses for it, and loves 

it freely through all. 

"And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, be- 
hold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with 
Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, 
they said unto His disciples, Why eateth your master with 
publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, He said 
unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but 
they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, 
I will have mercy, and not sacrifice : for I am not come to 
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." — Matt. 9:10-13. 

Other people love us when we are good, our 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 127 

mothers love us when we are naughty. And 
God is like our mothers. 

" But God commeEdeth His love toward us, in that, while 
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." — Rom. 5:8. 

" This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of 
whom I am chief."— 1 Tim. 1:15. 

Our mothers do not love our sins, bat they love 

us, even when we are sinners ; and they love us 

enough to try to save us from our sins. And this 

is like God. 

" There's a wideness in God's mercy, 
Like the wideness of the sea; 
There's a kindness in His justice 
That is more than liberty. 

" There's no place where earthly sorrows 
Are more felt than up in heaven; 
There's no place where earthly failings 
Have such kindly judgment given." 

Only mothers can be just to their children, for 
they alone know their temptations. And only God 
can be just toward us, for "He alone knoweth our 
frame, and remembereth that we are dust." 

VI. The mother will lay down her life for her 
child. And our Lord laid down His life for us. 

" I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd givethhis life 
for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shep- 
herd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, 
and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and, the wolf catcheth 
them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because 
he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the 
good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and 
I lay down my life for the sheep." — John 10:11-15. 

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down 
His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the 
brethren." — 1 John. 3:16. 



128 BIBLE READINGS. 

All nature teaches us this law of the self-sacri- 
fice of motherhood. Even the wild tiger-mother 
yields to its power. A late writer has said con- 
cerning this: "It is a tiger's impulse to resent 
an injury. Pluck her by the hair, smite her on 
the flank, she will leap upon and rend you. But 
to resent an injury is not her strongest impulse. 
Watch those impotent kitten creatures playing 
with her. They are so weak, a careless move- 
ment of her giant paw would destroy them ; but she 
makes no careless movement. They have caused 
her a hundredfold the pain your blow produced ; 
yet she does not render evil for evil. These puny 
mites of helpless impotence she strokes, with love's 
light in her eyes; she licks the shapeless forms 
of her tormentors, and, as they plunge at her, 
each groan of her anguish is transformed by love 
into a whinney of delight. She moves her massive 
head in a way which shows that He, who bade you 
turn the other cheek, created her. When strong 
enough to rise, the terrible creature goes forth to 
sacrifice herself for her own. She will starve that 
they may thrive. She is terrible for her little 
ones, as Christ was terrible for His. He who 
made her, taught her the secret of motherhood." 

The little Bantam hen has learned the same 
secret, and will spread her tiny wings and rush 
to her death, if her little chicks are in danger. 

In all ranges of being, the beautiful law of 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 129 

motherhood leads to the grandeur of an utter self- 
sacrifice. And He who conceived and created 
motherhood, can not Himself do less than the 
mothers He has made. 

" For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ 
died for the ungodly."— Bom. 5 :6. 

*' For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain 
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, 
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with 
Him."— 1 Thes. 5:9,10. 

" For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus 
judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that 
He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth 
live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and 
rose again." — 2 Cor. 5:14,15. 

"When the polar bear lays down her life for 
the cub that cannot live without her ; when the 
leopard gives herself to death in defence of her 
impotent whelp; the Arctic Circle and the Lybian 
zone unite in protestation that the spirit of Na- 
ture is the spirit of Christ." 

VII. The mother holds the hand of her child 
to lead it in the right path, and lifts it over the 
rough places, that it may not stumble. 

" For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, 
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."— Ps. 91:11, 12. 

" He will keep the feet of His saints." — 1 Sam. 2:9. 

" Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and 
to present you faultless before the presence of His glory 
with exceeding joy." — Jude, 24. 

" For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and keep thy foot 
from being taken." — Prov. 3:26. 

It is the mother who holds the child, not the 

child the mother. It is the mother who watches 

the path, and lifts the baby feet over the stones 

9 



130 BIBLE READINGS. 

and snares that obstruct the way. The responsi- 
bility is all hers. The child has only to abandon 
itself to her leading, and trust her fully. And 
our God "knoweth the way we take," and will 
"direct all our steps," if we but commit ourselves 
to his care. 

" He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth 
thee will not slumber."— Ps. 121:3. 

" Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for He shall pluck 
my feet out of the net." — Ps. 25:15. 

" He brought me up also out of the horrible pit, out of the 
miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my 
goings." — Ps. 40:2. 

" Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation : and 
thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath 
made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, 
that my feet did not slip."— Ps. 18:35, 36. 

" Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip 
not."— Ps. 17:5. 

No matter how much the child may resist the 

mother's leading, or wander from her loving 

clasp, still she is always ready again to take hold 

of its hand and lead it. 

" If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter- 
most parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, 
and thy right hand shall hold me."— Ps. 139:9,10. 

" For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying 
unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." — Isa. 41: 13. 

VIII. The mother is always ready to feed her 
hungry child, and would starve herself before 
she would suffer the child to starve. 

"The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them 
their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and 
satisfiest the desire of every living thing." — Ps. 145:15, 16. 

" Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness: for they shall be rilled." — Matt. 5:6. 

" For he satisrieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry 
soul with goodness." — Ps. 107:9. 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 131 

It is not always the food the child asks for, that 
the wise mother gives. Sometimes such food 
would be fatal to its health. But it is always the 
food that is best for it, up to the mother's light 
and ability to procure. And we may be perfectly 
sure that our God always gives us that which is 
best, whether it is what we ask for or not. There- 
fore we must be satisfied. 

" My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; 
and my mouth shall praise thse with joyful lips." — Ps. 63:5 

" If a son shall ask bread of you that is a father, will he 
give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give 
him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him 
a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good 
gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly 
Father give the Holy Spirit to them- that ask Him!" — Luke 
11:11-13. 

What our Father gives may look to us like a 

"serpent" or a "scorpion," but, since He gives 

it, we may be sure it cannot be anything but just 

the best thing for us. For if parents " know how" 

to give good gifts how " much more " must He? 

" Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, 
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; not yet for your 
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, 
and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: 
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; 
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much 
better than they? * * * Therefore take no thought, say- 
ing, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Where- 
withal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do 
the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that 
ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the king- 
dom of God, and His righteousDess; and all these things 
shall be added unto you."— Matt. 6:25, 26, 31-33. 

The child does not have to supply or prepare 

its own food; this is the mother's business. And 



132 BIBLE READINGS. 

all the child has to do is to eat and live, without 
care and without cost. 

"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and 
he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy 
wine and milk, without money and without price. Where- 
fore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and 
your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently 
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul 
delight itself in fatness." — Isa. 55:1, 2. 

IX. The mother takes pleasure in her child, 

and loves to dress it beautifully and to keep it 

clean. 

"For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will 
beautify the meek with salvation." — Ps. 149:4. 

" I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful 
in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of 
salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteous- 
ness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and 
as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." — Isa. 61:10. 

"What joy in the world is equal to the joy of a 
mother in her child! And what employment is 
sweeter to her than to prepare dainty garments for 
its adorning. 

And yet it is hard for the children themselves 
to believe this. They do not know the mothers 
heart, and they cannot enter into her joy in them. 

And it is the same with us toward our God. 
We cannot believe that He can take pleasure in 
such poor miserable creatures as we are. We 
know we delight in Him, but it seems impossible 
that He should delight in us. And yet, in spite 
of all the child's ignorance of it, the mother does 
rejoice in her little ones ; and in spite of our doubts 
and fears God does rejoice in us. 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 133 

" The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those 
that hope in His mercy." — Ps. 147:11. 

Can not we therefore, who understand some- 
thing of the mother's heart towards her children^ 
understand also something of the heart of God 
towards us? 

" Yea, I swear unto thee and entered into a covenant with 
thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine. Then 
washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away 
thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed 
thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badger's 
skin, and I girded thee about with tine linen, and I covered 
thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put 
bracelets upon thine hands, and a chain on thy neck. And 
I put a jewel on thy forehead, and ear-rings in thine ears, and 
a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked 
with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and 
silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, 
and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst 
prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among 
the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my 
comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God." 
— Ezek. 16:8-14. 

"The King's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing 
is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the King in 
raiment of needlework." — Ps. 45:13, 14. 

The child does not make its own clothes, but 

leaves them all for the mother. 

"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the 
lillies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do 
they spin. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in 
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, 
if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and 
to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more 
clothe you, O ye of little faith?."— Matt. 6:28-30. 

It would grieve the mother to see her little one 

anxious and troubled about its clothing; and it 

grieves our God to see us. Moreover, all our 

efforts to clothe ourselves are grievous failures, 

just as the child's would be. 



134 BIBLE READINGS. 

"And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though 
thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest 
thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face 
with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers 
will despise thee, they will seek thy life." — Jer. 4:30. 

Only the Lord can clothe us ; and He only can 

make us clean. 

" Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: 
though your sins may be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as 
wool." — Isa. 1:18. 

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have 
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, 
His son cleanseth us from all sin." — 1 John 1 :7. 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive 
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." — 
1 John 1:9. 

X. The mother feels the hurts and sufferings 
of her child as though they were her own. 

" In all their afflictions He was afflicted, and the angel of 
His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He re- 
deemed them: and He bore them and carried them all the 
days of old."— Isa. 63:9. 

Even though the affliction may be the result of 
sin, still the mother grieves over it and longs to 
help it. Strangers may say "It serves you right;" 
but no good mother ever could. 

" For we have not an high priest which can not be touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points 
temrted like as we are, yet without sin." — Heb. 4: 15. 

"For He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye." 
— Zech. 2:8. 

XI. The mother can not forget or forsake her 
child. And yet even this may be possible with 
a human mother, but with God never ! 

" But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord 
hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, 
that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? 
yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 135 



have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are 
continually before me." — Isa. 49, 14-16. 

" Why say est thou, Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My 
way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over 
from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, 
that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends 
of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no 
searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the 
faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength." 
—Isa, 40: 27-29. 

Christians sometimes talk as though God had 

forsaken them ; but this is impossible, for He has 

said "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." 

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be 
content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly 
say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man 
shall do unto me." — Heb. 13:5, 6. 

" Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of 
them: for the Lord my God, He it is that doth go with thee; 
He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. * * * * And the 
Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, 
He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither 
be dismayed." — Deut. 31 : 6, 8. 

The child in delirium thinks its mother has for- 
saken it, although all the time she is close beside 
it. And we, in the delirium of our doubts and 
fears, think as falsely, that God has forsaken us. 

" For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great 
name's sake, because it hath pleased the Lord to make you 
His people."— 1 Sam. 12:22. 

"And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not 
forsake my people Israel." — 1 Kings 6:13. 

" There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all 
the days of thy life r as I was with Moses, so I will be with 
thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee." — Josh. 1 : 5. 

" When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, 
and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, 
I the God of Israel will not forsake them." — Isa. 41: 17. 

XII. The mother stays beside her child when 



136 BIBLE READINGS. 

it is in danger, even though all others may aban- 
don it. 

"1 am the good shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His 
life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling, and not the 
shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf com- 
ing, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth 
them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling rleeth,_ be- 
cause he is an hireling, andcarethnot for the sheep." — John 
10:11-13. 

A hired nurse, let her be paid ever so highly, 
may flee in a moment of danger, and leave her 
nursling to its fate. But danger only makes the 
mother keep closer to her helpless little one. 
The mother-hen, who generally flies at the first 
approach of danger, will stand as firm and daunt- 
less as a lion, if she has her little chickens to 
guard. 

Have we ever dared to think of our Lord as 
though He were a "hireling" who fled when dan- 
ger approached? 

Have we not even sometimes been more ready 
to trust earthly "hirelings," than to trust Him? 

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge 
in times of trouble." — Ps. 9:9. 

" For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavil- 
ion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He 
shall set me upon a rock." — Ps. 27: 5. 

XIII. If the child is lost, the mother leaves all 

else to seek it, and never gives up " till she 

finds it." 

"And He spake this parable unto them, saying, What man 
of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, 
doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go 
after that which is lost, until he find it? _ And when he hath 
found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when 



GOD AS OUR MOTHER. 137 

he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neigh- 
bours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found 
my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise 
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more 
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no re- 
pentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, 
if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the 
house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she 
hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours 
together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece 
which I had lost. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in 
the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that re- 
penteth."— Luke 15:3-10. 

"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 
How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of 
them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, 
and goeth into the mountains, andseeketh that which is gone 
astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, 
he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine 
which went not astray. v Even so it is not the will of your 
Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should 
perish."— Matt. 18:11-14. 

" For thus saith the Lord God, Behold I, even I, will both 
search my sheep, and seek them out. _ As a shepherd seeketh 
out his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, 
and will deliver them out of all places where they have been 
scattered in the cloudy and dark day." — Ezek. 34 :11, 12. 

What, then, is the summing up of the whole 
matter ? Simply this : If God is only as good as 
the mothers He has made, where can there be 
any room left for a thought of care or of fear ? 
And if He is as much truer to the ideal of mother- 
hood than an earthly mother can be, as His infi- 
niteness is above hers, then what oceans and conti- 
nents of bliss are ours for the taking! 

Shall we not take it? 

" Learn of this mother to be no more beguiled, 
For, mindful of the mother heart which I have 
given; 
She in my goodness hath abiding faith; 



138 BIBL E READINGS. 



And whatso'er of Me another saith, 
Although the words may seem to come from 
Heaven ; 

She ponders well, and tries it by the test, 
Of that which in her own heart she finds best. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



X. 

SUBJECT— AS A LITTLE CHILD. 

Foundation Text. — And they brought unto Him also 
infants, that He would touch them: but when 
His disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But 
Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Suffer 
little children to come unto me, and forbid them 
not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily 
I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the 
kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise 
enter therein." — Luke 18:15-17. 

Notice that in verse fifteen the word used to 
describe the little children whom our Lord here 
takes as patterns for us, is "infants;" and in 
verse sixteen, He says concerning them, *' of such 
is the kingdom of God." 

" In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank 
thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that thou hast 
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed 
them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in 
thy sight,"— Luke 10 :21. 

"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, . 
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus 
called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of 
them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be con- 
verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into 
the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble 
himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the king- 
dom of heaven." — Matt. 18:1-4. 

It is plainly therefore Utile children, "infants," 
who are to be our patterns; not grown-up chil- 
(139) 



140 BIBLE READINGS. 

dren, nor half-grown ones ; not precocious children, 
nor children who have old heads on young should- 
ers. But real, honest, downright Utile children, 
who have all the characteristics of what George 
Macdonald calls " childness," which means the 
guileless, impulsive, tender, trustful, self-forget- 
ting, uncareful spirit of a Utile child. 

It is of vital importance then, that we should 
get a true idea of what it means to be a little 
child, and of what are the characteristics of ideal 
childhood, in order that we may know what must 
be our characteristics, if we would become " as 
little children." 

I. A little child takes no anxious thought for 
the supply of its needs, but leaves all the care of 
providing to its parents. And we likewise must 
take no anxious thought for the supply of our 
needs ; but must leave all the care of providing to 
our Heavenly Father. 

" Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, 
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your 
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and 
the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for 
they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; 
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much 
better than they?"— Matt. 6:25, 26. 

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? 
or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your 
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these 
things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His right- 
eousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." — 
Matt. 6:31-33. 

" Casting all vour care upon Him; for He careth for you." 
—1 Pet. 5:7. 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 141 

II. A little child lives in the present moment, 
and leaves the planning of its future to the 
mother's care. 

We also must live in the present moment and 

leave our future to God. 

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the mor- 
row shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient 
unto the day is the evil thereof." — Matt. 6:34. 

III. A little child asks for everything it wants, 
without ceremony, and in a joyous confidence of 
being heard and answered. 

We also must ask in unceremonious child- 
like confidence for everything we want, sure of 
being heard and answered, according to God's 
divine wisdom. 

" Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and 
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made 
known unto God." — Phil. 4:6. 

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall 
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."— John 15:7. 

" Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, 
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have 
them."— Mark 11:24. 

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek, aud ye shall find; 
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that 
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him 
that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of 
you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or 
if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, be- 
ing evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how 
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good 
things to them that ask Him? "—Matt. 7:7-11. 

IY. The little child runs to its mother for 
comfort in all its troubles. 

We also must go to our Lord for comfort in all 
our troubles. 



142 BIBLE READINGS. 



" For thus saith the Lord, Behold I will extend peace to 
her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing 
stream : then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, 
and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother 
comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted 
in Jerusalem."— Isa. 66:12, 13. 

" Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort: who 
comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to 
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort 
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." — 2 Cor. 1:3, 4. 

Y. The little child looks to its father and mother 
for deliverance from all its enemies. 

And likewise we must look to our God for de- 
liverance from ours. 

" For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor 
also, and him that hath no helper." — Ps. 72:12. 

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He 
delivered them out of their distresses."— Ps. 107 :6. 

" This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved 
him out of all his troubles."— Ps. 34:6. 

"Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst 
deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered. 
They trusted in thee, and were not confounded." — Ps. 22:4,5. 

VI. A little child rests in the mother's arms 
when it is weary. 

And likewise we must rest our weary souls in 
the arms of our God. 

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest."— Matt. 11:28. 

"And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and 
in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places." — Isa. 32 :18. 

" For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In 
returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in con- 
fidence shall be your strength." — Isa. 30:15. 

VII. The little child asks questions about 
everything it wants to know, and believes all that 
its mother says, without question or doubt. 

And likewise we must ask our Lord about 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 143 



everything in which we lack wisdom, and must 
believe all that He says with implicit confidence. 

" If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giyeth 
to all men liberally, andupbraideth not; and it shall be given 
him. Bat let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that 
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and 
tossed.; For let not that man think that he shall receive any- 
thing of the Lord." — Jas. 1 :5-7 

" Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice 
for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and search- 
est for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand 
the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For 
the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowl- 
edge and understanding." — Prov. 2 :3-6. 

" But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the 
Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, 
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you." — John 14:26. 

VIII. The little child expects its father and 
mother to fight all its battles, and is always con- 
fident that they can conquer. 

And likewise we must expect our Lord to fight 
all our battles, and must be confident in His cer- 
tain victory. 

" And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, 
and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you 
to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye 
shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall tight 
for you, and ye shall hold your peace." — Exod. 14: 13,14. 

" When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and 
seest horses, and chariots, and a peoplo more than thou, be 
not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which 
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, 
when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall 
approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, 
Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your 
enemies : let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, 
neither be ye terrified because of them; for the Lord your 
God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your 
enemies, to save you." — Deut. 20 : 1-4. 

" Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give 



144 BIBLE READINGS. 

place unto -wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will 
repay, saith the Lord." — Bom. 12:19. 

" Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall 
tread down our enemies." — Ps. 60:12. 

" Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto 
the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for 
He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath 
He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, 
and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will 
prepare Him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt 
Him. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is His name." — 
Exod. 15:1-3. 

IX. The little child takes refuge in its mother's 
arms when an enemy approaches, and is afraid of 
nothing in her presence. 

And likewise we must make the Lord our 
refuge, and must fear nothing in His presence. 

" The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the 
everlasting arms : and He shall thrust out the enemy from 
before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." — Deut. 33:27. 

" The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? 
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be 
afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, 
came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 
Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall 
not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be 
confident."— Ps. 27:1-3. 

" God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in 
trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be re- 
moved, and though the mountains be carried into the midst 
of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." — 
Ps. 46:1-3. 

"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: 
my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee 
from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 
He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings 
shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the 
arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in 
darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy 
right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine 
eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 145 

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even 
the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall 
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." — 
Ps. 91:2-10. 

" The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge 
in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put 
their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them 
that seek thee."— Ps. 9:9, 10. 

X. The little child believes its parents can do 
everything and that nothing is too hard for them. 

And we must believe that all things are possi- 
ble to our Father in Heaven, and that nothing 
can thwart His blessed will. 

" He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief ; 
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully 
persuaded, that what He had promised, He was able also to 
perform."— Bom. 4 : 20,21. 

" Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why 
could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, 
Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye 
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this 
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall re- 
move: and nothing shall be impossible unto you." — 
Matt. 17:19,20. 

" Jesus said unto him. If thou canst believe, all things are 
possible to him that believe th."— Mark 9:23. 

" And when He was come into the house, the blind men 
came to Him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I 
am able to do this? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then 
touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it 
unto you."— Matt. 9:28,29. 

XI. The little child is never surprised at the 
greatness of any gift that its parents may offer, 
nor ever hesitates from a foolish mistrust, to ac- 
cept the most lavish bestowments. 

And likewise we must not be hindered by a 
foolish mistrust from accepting eagerly and gladly 
the lavish gifts which our Lord is continually 
seeking to bestow upon us. 
10 



146 BIBLE READINGS. 



" I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the 
land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." — 
Ps. 81:10. 

" For if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much 
more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift 
of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ." 
— Kom.5:17. 

" But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which 
God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath 
revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth 
all things, yea, the deep things of God." — 1 Cor. 2:9,10. 

" Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that 
worketh in us. Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ 
Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." — 
Eph. 3:20,21. 

XII. The little child never doubts the love and 
care of its mother, and would be surprised beyond 
measure should there be any lack. 

And we must never doubt the love and care of 
our Lord, nor be surprised at His tender watch- 
fulness of all our needs. 

" Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which 
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not 
much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"— Matt. 6:30. 

"Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto them, O ye of 
little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have 
brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, • neither 
remember the five loaves of the five thousEind, and how many 
baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four 
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?" — Matt.l6:8-10. 

" And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto 
them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they 
had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was 
in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. 
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat 
into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the 
hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow: and they awake 
Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest thou not that we 
perish? And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto 
the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 147 



a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fear- 
ful? how is it that ye have no faith?"— Mark 4:35-40. 

" Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe 
also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it 
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place 
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come 
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there 
ye may be also." — John 14: 1-3. 

" Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God fur- 
nish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote the rock, 
that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can 
He give bread also? can He provide flesh for His people? 
Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was 
kindled against Jacob, > and anger also came up against 
Israel; because they believed not in God, and trusted not in 
His salvation: though He had commanded the clouds from 
above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down 
manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of 
heaven."— Ps. 78:19-24. 

XIII. The little child is content with the ar- 
rangements its mother makes for it, and asks no 
questions. 

xlndwe likewise must be content with our Lord's 
arrangements for us, and ask no questions, nor 
murmer at the dispensations He may permit. 

" Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be 
content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee." — Heb. 13: 5. 

"Nay but O man, who art thou that repliest against God? 
Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast 
thou made me thus?" — Rom. 9: 20. 

" And all the congregation of the children of Israel jour- 
neyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, accord- 
ing to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephi- 
dim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Where- 
fore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water 
that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide 
ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the peo- 
ple thirsted therefor water; and the people murmured against 
Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought 
us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle 
with thirst? * * * * And He called the name of the 
place Massah and Meribah, because of the chiding of tho 



148 BIBLE READINGS. 



children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, say- 
ing, Is the Lord among us, or not?" — Exod. 17:1-3, 7. 

"Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and 
were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things hap- 
pened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our 
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." — 
1 Cor. 10:10,11. 

" Not that I speak in respect of want : for I have learned 
in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know 
both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every- 
where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and 
to be hungry, both to abound and to surfer need." — 
Phil. 4: 11, 12. 

" But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we 
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can 
carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be 
therewith content." — 1 Tim. 6 : 6-8. 

XIY. Little children grow as the flowers grow, 
without taking any thought about their growing. 

And we must ''consider the lilies how they 
grow" and grow like them, without anxiety or 
strain. 

" Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto 
his stature ? And why take y e thought for raiment ? Consider 
the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither 
do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in 
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." — Matt.6 :27-29. 

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that 
ye may grow thereby." — 1 Peter 2:2. 

"I -will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the 
lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall 
spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his 
smell as Lebanon." — Hosea 14:5,6. 

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall 
grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that he planted in the 
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat 
and flourishing."— Ps. 92: 12-14. 

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 
hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the 
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and 
shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; 
and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall 
cease from yielding fruit." — Jer. 17: 7,8. 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 



XV. The little child comes with boldness into 
its mother's presence, and never doubts her loving 
welcome. 

And likewise we also must come with boldness 
into the presence of our Lord, without a question 
or doubt of His loving welcome. 

" For we have not a high priest which can not be touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points 
tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore 
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain 
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." — Heb. 4:15, 16. 

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the 
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, 
which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is 
to say, His flesh; and having a high priest over the house of 
God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of 
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 
and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast 
the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faith- 
ful that promised."— Heb. 10:19-23. 

" In whom we have boldness and access with confidence 
by the faith of him."— Eph. 3:12. 

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath 
to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in 
God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, 
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because 
as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; 
but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. 
He that feareth is not made perfect in love." — 1 John 4:16-18. 

" So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I 
will not fear what man shall do unto me." — Heb. 13:6. 

XVI. The little child boasts about its parents, 
and wants to tell everyone of their goodness. 

And we must "make our boast" in the Lord, 

and tell of His wonderful goodness, wherever we 

can. 

^ "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall con- 
tinually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in 
the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O 



150 BIBLE READINGS. 



magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name 
together."— Ps. 34:1-3. 

"Bejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely 
for the upright. Praise the Lord with harps: sing unto Him 
with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing 
unto Him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise." — 
Ps. 33:1-3. 

" In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name 
forever."— -Ps. 44:8. 

" Howbeit, Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go 
home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the 
Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 
And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how 
great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did 
marvel."— Mark. 5:19,20. 

" I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord, and the 
praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath be- 
stowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of 
Israel, which He hath bestowed on them according to His 
mercies, and according to the multitude of His lovingkind- 
nesses." — Isa. 63:7. 

XVII. Little children are punished when they 
are naughty, and are subdued and softened by 
the punishment, and kiss the hand that smites. 

And likewise the Lord chastises us when we 
are naughty, and we must accept our chastise- 
ments with thankful submission, letting them 
work in our spirits the purposed blessing. 

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous 
therefore, and repent." — Kev. 3:19. 

" Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: there- 
fore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. For 
He maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and His 
hands make whole." — Job. 5:17, 18. 

" Blessed is the man whom thou chasteneth, O Lord, and 
teachest him out of thy law." — Ps. 94:12. 

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh 
unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the 
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of 
Him. For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure 
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 151 



is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without 
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, 
and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh 
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we 
not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, 
and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after 
their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be 
partakers of His holiness. Now do chastening for the pres- 
ent seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, after- 
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto 
them which are exercised thereby." — Heb. 12:5-11. 

XVIII. Little children have teachable spirits, 
and are eager to learn. 

We also must have teachable spirits, and must 
be eager to be taught of God. 

"A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner 
heareth not rebuke." — Prov.l3:l. 

"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter 
than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get under- 
standing: therefore I hate every false way." — Ps. 119:103, 104. 

"Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that 
hateth reproof is brutish." — Prov. 12:1. 

" O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than 
mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more un- 
derstanding than all my teachers : for thy testimonies are my 
meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because 
I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil 
way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from 
thy judgments : for thon hast taught me."— Ps. 119 :97-102. 

" But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the 
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, 
and bring all things to yonr remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you." — John 14:26. 

" I have yet many things to say unto you but ye can not 
bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, 
he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of 
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: 
and he will show you things to come.,' — John 16:12, 13. 

XIX. The little child has a ready foot to run 
the mother's errands. 



152 BIBLE READINGS. 

We also must have ready feet to run on our 
Father's business. 

"I will run the way of thy commandments, when thon 
shaJt enlarge my heart." — Ps. 119:32. 

" I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy 
testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy 
commandments." — Ps. 119:59,60. 

XX. Little children have obedient spirits, and 
do what their parents desire, and not what they 
may think best themselves. 

And we likewise must have obedient spirits to 
do God's will, and not our own, no matter how 
much better our own plans may seem to us. 

"And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in 
burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the 
Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to 
hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of 
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Be- 
cause thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also 
rejected thee from being king." — 1 Sam. 15: 22, 23. 

"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my 
voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, 
and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, 
that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor 
inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and the imag- 
ination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not f or- 
ward."— Jer. 7:23,24. 

" Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of 
my Father which is in heaven."— Matt. 7:21. 

" And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things 
which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my 
sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 
he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and 
laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose, the 
stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not 
shake it; for it was founded upon a rock. But he that bear- 
eth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation 
built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did 
beat vehemently , and immediately it fell* and the ruin of 
that house was great." — Luke 6: 46-49. 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 153 

"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves accord- 
ing to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which 
hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of con- 
versation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 
— 1 Pet. 1:14-16. 

XXI. Little children instinctively realize the 
fact that they have nothing to do but to obey 
their parents, and leave all else to them. 

And likewise we also must intelligently realize 
the blessed fact that we have nothing to do but to 
obey our Lord and to leave all else to His care, 

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear 
God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole 
duty of man."— Eccl. 12: 13. 

" But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteous- 
ness; and all these things shall be added unto you." — 
Matt. 6:33. 

Christ was the pattern of this Divine childhood. 

"For unto us aChild is born, unto us a Son is given; and 
the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name 
shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The 
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." — Isa. 9:6. 

I. He did nothing of Himself. 

" Then answered Jesus and said unto them. Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what 
He seeth the Father do for what things soever He doeth, 
these also doeth the Son likewise." — John 5:19. 

"I can of mine of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I 
judge, and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine 
own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." — 
John 5: 30. 

II. He said nothing of Himself. 

" Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the 
Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do 
nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak 
these things."— John 8: 28. 

" He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath 



154 BIBLE READINGS. 



one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same 
shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of 
myself; bat the Father which sent me, He gave me a com- 
mandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 
And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: what- 
soever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so 
I speak."— John 12:48-50. 

III. He walked in childlike obedience. 

"And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, 
and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these 
sayings in her heart." — Luke 2: 51. 

" Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him 
that sent me, and to finish His work." — John 4: 34. 

" For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, 
but the will of Him that sent me." — John 6: 38. 

IV. He referred everything to His Father. 

" Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth 
not on me, but on Him that sent me. And he that seeth me 
seeth Him that sent me." — John 12:44,45. 

" Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it 
surficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time 
with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that 
hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou 
then, Shew us the Father?"— John 14: 8, 9. 

" Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would 
love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither 
came I of myself, but He sent me." — John 8:42. 

Since Christ is our example, we mnst walk as 
He walked, with the spirit and ways of child- 
hood. 

" For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also 
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow 
His steps."— 1 Pet. 2:21. 

" He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to 
walk, even as He walked." — 1 John 2 : 6. 



AS A LITTLE CHILD. 



" Except ye become as little children ye can not enter the kingdom of 
heaven.' 

"As a little child, as a little child! 

Then how can I enter in? 
I am scarred, and hardened, and soul-defiled, 

With traces of sorrow and sin. 
Can I turn backward the tide of years 

And wake my dead youth at my will?" 
"Nay, but thou canst, with thy grief and thy fears, 
Creep into my arms and be still." 

"I know that the lambs in the heavenly fold 

Are sheltered and kept in thy heart; 
But I, I am old, and the gray from the gold 

Has bidden all brightness depart. 
The gladness of youth, the faith and the truth, 

Lie withered or shrouded in dust. ' 
"Thou'rt emptied at length of thy treacherous strength; 
Creep into my arms now, and trust." 

"Is it true? can I share with the little ones there 

A child's happy rest on Thy breast?" 
"Aye, the tenderest care will answer thy prayer, 

My love is for thee as the rest. 
It will quiet thy fears, will wipe away tears, 

Thy murmurs shall soften to psalms, 
Thy sorrows shall seem but a feverish dream, 
In the rest, in the rest in my arms. 

"Thus tenderly held, the heart that rebelled, 

Shall cling to my hand, though it smite; 
Shall find in my rod the love of its God, 

My statutes its songs i u. the night. 
And whiter than snow shall the stained life grow, 

'Neath the touch of a love undefiled, 
And the throngs of forgiven at the portals of heaven, 

Shall welcome one more little child." 

" Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the 
same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 



(155) 



BIBLE READINGS. 



XL 



SUBJECT— THE THREE F'S,— FACT, FAITH, 
FEELING— THE DIVINE ORDER OR 
THE HUMAN— WHICH? 

There is in all things a Divine order, and a 
human order, and very frequently these two are 
opposed to one another. 

In the three F's we are considering, this is 
strikingly the case. 

God's order reads thus; 

I. Fact. 
II. Faith. 
III. Feeling. 
In man's order this is reversed; 

I. Feeling. 
II. Faith. 
III. Fact. 
That is; in the divine order God gives us first 
the facts of His salvation; then we believe these 
facts ; and then as a consequence, we have the feel- 
ings suitable to the facts believed. 

But man reverses this order, and says, "I must 
have the feeling first, and then I can believe in 
that feeling, and thus I shall get hold of the facts." 
(157) 



158 BIBLE READINGS. 

Of course this is absurd; but it is a very com- 
mon temptation, and is the cause of most of the 
pitiful uncertainty and doubt that characterizes 
so much of the experiences of Christians. 

" And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal 
life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath 
life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 
These things have I written unto you that believe on the 
name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have 
eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son 
of God."— 1 John 5:11-13. 

Here we have an illustration of the Divine 
order. 

First we have the "record" of the facts, that 

" God hath given to us eternal life," and that this 

life is in His Son; and further, that "He that 

hath the Son hath life." Then we are told that 

if we believe these facts, we shall "know" that we 

have the eternal life spoken of. 

" He that believeth. on the Son of God hath the witness in 
himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; 
because he believeth not the record that God gave of His 
Son."— Uohn 5:10. 

Notice it is "he that believeth" that hath the 
"witness," not he that doubteth. Most people 
read this passage as though it said "he that 
doubteth shall have the witness, and then he can 
believe." They put the witness first and the be- 
lieving second, but God's order is, first believe, 
and then have the witness. And we can never re- 
verse this order; for it is in the very nature of 
things, as well as in the Book. In all earthly 



THE THREE F'S. 159 



things we require the fact before the feeling. 
No man starts on a journey at hap-hazard, and 
then shuts his eyes to "feel" whether or not he 
is going the right way. No man sits down to 
" feel " whether he has money in the bank with 
which to pay his debts. " Give us the facts " is 
always our cry in earthly things. But when it 
comes to spiritual things, we reverse this order 
entirely, and instead of asking " What is the 
fact?" we say plaintively, " How do I feel?" 

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we 
wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps 
upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that 
carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that 
wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the 
songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a 
strange land ?— Ps. 137 : 1-4. 

No one can sing a song of rejoicing unless the 

cause for rejoicing has first been ascertained to be 

a fact. The Israelites did not say, "We will feel 

happy and sing songs, and then we shall be in 

our own land." We cannot conceive of any one 

in his senses doing such a silly thing. And yet 

many a child of God says something very nearly 

akin to this. "If I could only feel happy, then I 

could believe that God is my Father and that He 

loves me." We can only know that God loves us 

by His saying so, not by our feeling so. We can 

only know that our earthly friends love us from 

their own words. We believe them when they 

tell us that they love us, and then we feel happy 

because we believe it. 



160 BIBLE READINGS. 



" When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we 
were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with 
laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among 
the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The 
Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." — 
Ps. 126:1-3. 

When their captivity was turned, the Israelites 

rejoiced without any effort. They could not sing 

songs of joy in the strange land, but as soon as 

they were at home again, their tongues were filled 

with singing. And we are like them; we cannot 

rejoice until we also know that our captivity has 

been turned; but when we do know it, our mouths 

like theirs are filled with laughter and our tongues 

with singing, without any effort. 

" Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow 
of thy wings will I rejoice."— Ps. 63: 7. 

"O sing unto the Lord a new song: for He hath done 
marvelous things : His right hand, and His holy arm, hath 
gotten Him the victory. The Lord hath made known His 
salvation: His righteousness hath He openly shewed in the 
sight of the heathen. He hath remembered His mercy and 
His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth 
have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise un- 
to the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, 
and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the 
harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound 
of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the "King." — 
Ps. 98:1-6. 

" For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to 
her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing 
stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, 
and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother 
comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted 
in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, 
and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of 
the Lord shall be known toward His servants, and His indig- 
nation toward His enemies." — Isa. 66: 12-14. 

" And when ye see this your heart shall re- 
joice." We need to "see" our blessings before 



THE THREE F , S. 161 



we can rejoice over them. The Israelites could 
see their blessings with their outward eyes, for 
they were visible and tangible things. But we 
must see ours with our inward eyes, for they are 
invisible and spiritual. Our knowledge concern- 
ing them can only come by faith, while theirs 
came by sight Bat faith is inward seeing. To 
believe a thing on sufficient authority is as real 
as seeing it 

" Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have 
access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice 
in hope of the glory of God." — Rom. 5:1,2. 

" But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let 
them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let 
them also that love thy name be joyful in thee." — Ps. 5: 11. 

"For our heart shall rejoice in Him; because we have 
trusted in His holy name." — Ps. 33:21. 

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they 
shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy 
name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness 
shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their 
strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. For 
the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our 
King."— Ps. 89: 15-18. 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us 
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, 
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who 
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 
ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly 
rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heavi- 
ness through manifold temptations." — 1 Pet. 1 : 3-6. 

Our feelings of joy come from our believing 
joyful facts. The facts do not exist because we 
are joyful, but we are joyful, on account of the 
existence of the facta 
11 



162 BIBLE READINGS. 

Spiritual facts can only be known by believing 

God's witness concerning them. 

" If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is 
greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testi- 
fied of His Son."— 1 John 5:9. 

If we are willing to "receive the witness of 
men" concerning the facts which come within the 
range of mans knowledge (and of course we do 
this every moment), we surely ought to be willing 
to receive the "witness of God'' concerning the 
facts that come within the range of His knowl- 
edge. We could not have a moment's peace in our 
life among men, if we refused to receive their 
"witness;" and we can never have a moment's 
peace in our life with God as long as we refuse to 
receive His witness. Suppose we should meet 
every statement of our fellow men with the asser- 
tion that we could not believe what they said un- 
til we had sat down arid looked inside to see 
whether we felt it was true! And yet this is just 
the way many treat God! 

" He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the 
earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh 
from heaven is above all. And what He hath seen and heard, 
that He testineth; aod no man receiveth His testimony. He 
that hath received His testimonv hath set to his seal that 
God is true."— John 3:31-33. 

What we could not know because we are "of 
the earth," Christ knew because He came from 
heaven ; and what He hath seen and heard, He 
has testified to us. We can only know of heaven- 
ly things therefore by believing His words. 



THE THREE F*S. 163 

" Jesus cried and said. He that believeth on me, believeth 
not on me, but on Him that sent me. And he that seeth me 
seeth Him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, 
that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in dark- 
ness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I 
judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to 
save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my 
words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have 
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have 
not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He 
gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I 
should speak. And I know that His commandment is life 
everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father 
said unto me, so I speak." — John 12: 44-50. 

We see therefore that in all our relations with 
God, we must follow His divine order of, fact first, 
faith second, and feeling last, if we would be 
right. 

Let us then trace this divine order in regard to 
some of the most vital points of Christian expe- 
rience. 

I. That God loves us. 

1. The fact. 

" For God so loved the world, that He gave His only be- 
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not per- 
ish, but have everlasting life." — John 3: 16. 

" Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved 
us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." — 
1 John 4: 10. 

2. The faith. 

" And we have known and believed the love that God hath 
to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in 
God, and God in him."— 1 John 4: 16. 

3. The feeling. 
" And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God 
is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is 
given unto us." — Rom. 5:5. 

The great torment of many Christian hearts is 

that they do not feel as if God loved them or they 



164 BIBLE READINGS. 

loved Him. The trouble is that they are begin- 
ning at the wrong end, the end of feeling instead 
of the end of faith. We never can love Him, until 
we first know that He loves us. 
" We love Him, because He first loved us." — 1 John 4:19. 

We are all the time reversing this, and think- 
ing that He will love us if we will first love Him. 
But it is a hopeless attempt ; love must begin with 
God, and we can never originate it ourselves. 

II. The forgiveness of sins. 

1. The fact. < 
" Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that 
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of 
sins." — Acts 13:38. 

2. The faith. 
" And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, 
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." — 
Acts 13:39. 

3. The feeling. 
" Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have 
access by faith, into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice 
in hope of the glory of God." — Bom. 5:1, 2. 

The fact is preached to us. We believe the 
word preached. And as a result we have peace. 

But some may ask, Is the fact true until we be- 
lieve it? Are my sins forgiven before I believe 
that they are ? Certainly they are. In the heart 
of God there is always forgiveness, like the mother, 
whose forgiveness always awaits the sin of her 
child. But this forgiveness can not reach us un- 
til we believe in it. Our faith does not induce 
God to forgive us, it is not in any sense the cause 



THE THREE F3. 165 



of our forgiveness. Faith is only the hand by 
which we lay hold experimentally of the forgive- 
ness that is already ours in Christ. 

" I write unto you, little children, because your sins are 
forgiven you for His name's sake." — 1 John 2: 12. 

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might 
understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is 
written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise 
from the dead the third day: and that repentance and re- 
mission of sins should be preached in His name among all 
nations, beginning at Jerusalem." — Luke 24:45-47. 

" And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to 
Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry 
of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling 
the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto 
them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconcilia- 
tion. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though 
God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, 
be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin 
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the right- 
eousness of God in Him.'' — 2 Cor. 5: 18-21. 

God is reconciled to us ; He has forgiven us ; 
our sins do not separate Him from us, but only 
us from Him. We are not reconciled to Him, 
it may be, but He is always reconciled to us. 

Therefore our forgiveness is a fact in the mind 
and heart of God towards us, before we believe it ; 
and we do not make it true by believing it, but 
we believe it because it is true. And peace is the 
result of the believing, not the believing the re- 
sult of the peace. 

II. Eternal life. 

1. The fact. 

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal 
life, and this life is in His Son." — 1 John 5: 11. 

2. The faith. 

" And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up : that whosoever 



166 BIBLE READINGS. 

believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." — - 
John 3: 14, 15. 

3. The feeling. 
" Whom having not seen, ye love; in -whom, though now 
ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeaka- 
ble and full of glory : receiving the end of your faith, even 
the salvation of your souls." — 1 Pet. 1: 8,9. 

God has given us eternal life in Christ. Christ 

is, as it were, a great reservoir of life, out of whom 

each one of us may take by faith all of life that 

we need. 

" In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. * * * 
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to be- 
come the sons of God, even to them that believe on His 
name."— John 1:4,12. 

"That which was from the beginning, which we have 
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have 
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the "Word of 
life; for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and 
bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was 
with the Father, and was manifested unto us." — 1 John 1:1,2. 

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is 
eternal lif e through Jesus Christ our Lord." — Bom. 6 : 23. 

We do not have to create this life, nor earn it, 
nor buy it. We can only receive it as a gift, just 
as we received our human life. And our receiv- 
ing is by faith ; or in other words by believing 
that it has been given, and that we have it. 

"And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one 
which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have ever- 
lasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." — 
John 6:40. 

" Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: 
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never 
die. Belie vest thou this ?"— John 11 : 25, 26. 

III. The gift of the Holy Spirit. 

1. The fact. 
" And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another 
Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the 



THE THREE F f S. 167 

Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it 
seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for 
He dwelleth with yon, and shall be in you." — John 14: 16, 17. 

" This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are wit- 
nesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exacted, 
and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy 
Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." 
—Acts 2: 32, 33. 

2. The faith. 

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood 
and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, 
and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath 
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But 
this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him 
should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; be- 
cause that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" — John 7: 37-39. 

3. The feeling. 
" But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him 
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall 
be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." 
—John 4: 14. 

On the day of Pentecost this gift of the Holy- 
Ghost was given to the church. It was "shed 
forth" upon the church, as the sunlight is shed 
forth upon the world. 

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his 
voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that 
dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to 
my words: for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing 
it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which 
was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pass in 
the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all 
flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and 
your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall 
dream dreams : and on my servants and on my handmaidens 
I Avill pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall 
prophesy."— Acts 2: 14-18. 

Not only on a few disciples, but "upon all flesh" 
was the Spirit shed forth, and all who will re- 
ceive the gift, may have it. 

" Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their 
heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, 



168 BIBLE READINGS. 

Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto 
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of yon in the name 
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive 
the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is nnto you, 
and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as 
many as the Lord our God shall call." — Acts 2; 37-39. 

The Holy Spirit, like the sunlight, is free to 

all. The world is full of sunlight, but the plant 

in a cellar dwindles and dies for lack of it. What 

is needed is not a new outpouring of the sunlight, 

but the placing of the plant in the sunlight which 

is already poured out. It is not that God must 

give anything more, but that we must receive 

more of that which He has already given. 

" And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be 
filled with the Spirit."— Eph. 5: 18. 

"Be rilled" yourselves, with that Spirit which 
fills all the earth around you. Do not ask for 
more of the Spirit, but let the Spirit have more 
of you. 

This is the fact; that the Holy Spirit is given. 
Faith believes this, and by believing receives ; and 
after faith comes the conscious sealing. 

" This only would I learn of you, Beceived ye the Spirit 
by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" — 
Gal.H:2. 

" In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of 
truth, the gospel of your salvation : in whom also, after that 
ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." 
—Eph. 1:13. 

IV. The presence of God. 

1. The fact. 

" Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always even unto 
the end of the world. Amen."— Matt. 28:20. 

"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit! or whither shall I 



THE THREE F'S. 



flee from thy presence! If I ascend up into heaven, thou art 
there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I 
take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost 
parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy 
right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness 
shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, 
the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shiueth as 
the day : the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in 
my mother's womb." — Ps. 139 :7-13. 

2. The faith. 

" The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our 
refuge."— Ps. 46:7. 

" I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; 
my God: in Him will I trust."— Ps. 91: 2. 

" God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in 
trouble. '—Ps. 46:1. 

3. The feeling. 

" Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, 
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the 
sea."— Ps. 46:2. 

"For He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, 
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." — Heb. 13:5,6. 

What "He hath said," we may indeed "boldly 
say," therefore our faith must assert unswervingly 
the fact of God's abiding presence with us. And 
as a result of this faith we shall sooner or later 
realize a conscious feeling of His presence. He 
is not present because we feel it, but we feel it 
because we believe the fact of His presence. 

This divine order of the three F's, i. e., first fact, 
second faith, third feeling, applies to every aspect 
and every stage of our experience in heavenly 
things. 

No amount of feeling is good for anything un- 
less it is the result of faith in a divine fact; 



170 BIBLE READINGS. 

which fact is true anyhow, whether we believe it 
or not. 

Let us get our facts then. And let us at once 
and forever give up all idea that our feelings are 
the test and measure of these facts. 

The facts, when believed in, will control our 
feelings ; but no amount of feeling, let it be ever 
so fervent, can control the facts, so much as a 
feather's weight. 

A Christian who had had a very joyous experi- 
ence in a meeting, came to the minister the next 
day looking very downcast and said, "In your 
meeting yesterday I was filled with joy, and I 
thought I should never be sad again ; but now it 
is all gone and I am in the depths. What is the 
matter with me? Has God forsaken me?" "Did 
you ever pass through a tunnel ?" asked the min- 
ister. "Certainly I have," replied the man, "but I 
do not see what that has to do with it." "When 
you were in the tunnel did you think the sun had 
been blotted out and existed no longer?" contin- 
ued the minister. "No, of course I did not," said 
the man. "I knew the sun was in the sky just the 
same, although I could not see it just then. But 
what has that to do with my experience?" "Were 
you very much depressed while you were going 
through the dark tunnel ?" "No I was not, I knew 
I should get out into the light again soon." "And 
did you get out?" asked the minister. "I am out 



THE THREE FS. 171 

now I" exclaimed the man joyfully. "I see what you 
mean. The facts are just the same, no matter 
how I feel, and I am to rejoice in the facts not in 
my feelings, I see! I see!" 

Let us reject then the clamorings of our feel- 
ings which declare that God's facts are but dreams 
of the imagination, and let us take our stand 
without wavering on the unalterable verities of 
"God's record," receiving His "witness" with at 
least as much confidence as we accord to the wit- 
ness of men, and resting our souls absolutely 
on "that which He hath testified." 

"In hope, against all human hope, 

Self desperate, I believe; 
Thy quickening word shall raise me up, 

Thou wilt thy Spirit give. 

The thing surpasses all my thought, 

But faithful is my Lord; 
Through unbelief I stagger not, 

For God hath spoke the word. 

Faith, mighty faith, the promise 

And looks at that alone; 
Laughs at impossibilities, 

And cries — 'It shall be done!' 



BIBLE READINGS. 



XII. 

SUBJECT— OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE 
LORD. 

Foundation Text. — " Not as though I had already at- 
tained, either were already perfect : but I follow 
after, if that I may apprehend that for which 
also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" — 
Phil 3: 12. 

Some one has said that the only thing neces- 
sary for the children of God to do in order to en- 
ter into full possession of their inheritance, is 
simply to be what they are. That is, in other 
words, to "apprehend that for which they are ap- 
prehended " of Christ Jesus. In all human rela- 
tions this principle holds good. If a man is a 
king in fact, he must be one in actual outward rec- 
ognition, or his kingship avails him nothing. If a 
man really possesses wealth, he must act and live 
as a wealthy man, or his riches are of no worth 
to him. In all conditions of life, our success de- 
pends upon this little point of being what we 
really are. 

" For ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in 
the Lord: walk as children of light." — Eph. 5:8. 

You are children of light, now walk as such. 

That is ; be what you are. 

(173) 



174 BIBLE READINGS. 



In our relations with God this is especially- 
necessary, because these all exist in the unseen 
spiritual region, and can of course only be real to 
us as our faith makes them so, It is essential 
then to our peace, and also to our well-being, that 
we should intelligently apprehend and live out 
that for which we are apprehended of Christ 
Jesus. That is, we must find out what are our 
relationships to God, and then must he just what 
they are. For instance, if God says I am His 
child, then I must he a child; if He says I am 
a king, then I must he kingly; and so on in all 
the relations which exist in the soul life. 

It is of vital importance therefore that we should 

find out what we really are, in order that we may 

know what we ought to he. And this we can do 

by looking at the names by which He calls us. 

" But He that entereth in by the door is the Shepherd of 
the sheep. To Him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear 
His voice: and He calleth His own sheep by name, and lead- 
eth them out." — John 10: 2, 3. 

He "calleth His own sheep by name." God's 

naming always means character or position. He 

has no fancy nor arbitrary names. Just as we 

never call a man a farmer unless he is a farmer, so 

likewise when God calls us by a name, it is because 

we are that which He calls us. The names He 

has given us, therefore, will tell us what we are. 

" Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but 
thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations 
have I made thee."— Gen. 17:5. 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 175 

(Abram means "father of height," and Abra- 
ham means "father of multitudes.") 

"Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, 
even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, 
and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the 
young men of my lord, whom thou didst send." — 1 Sam. 25:25. 

(Nabal means, a "fool.") 

" And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob* 
but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and 
with men, and hast prevailed." — Gen. 32: 28. 

(Jacob means, a " supplanter," and Israel 
means, "a prince with God.") 

" But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, 
and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not : for I have re- 
deemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art 
mine." — Isa. 43:1. 

Let us see then what are some of the names by 

which God has called us, that we may learn to 

know what we really are in His sight. 

I. He calls us His "children." 

II. He calls us His "heirs." 

III. He calls us His "friends." 

IV. He calls us His "brethren." 
V. He calls us His "sheep." 

YI. He likens us to "birds." 

VII. He likens us to "chickens." 

VIII. He calls us "branches of the vine." 

IX. He likens us to "trees." 

X. He likens us to "flowers." 

XL He calls us "clay." 

XII. He calls us "vessels." 

XIII. He calls us "instruments." 

XIV. He calls us His "treasure." 



176 BIBLE READINGS. 

XV. He calls us His "bride." 
XVI. Finally, He declares that we are one with 
Himself. 
In every one of these names there is included 
a whole world of comfort to those who consent to 
be what they are thus called. 

We will look at them a little in detail, and see 
what is really included in this naming. 

I. He calls us His children. 

" For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus."— Gal. 3:26. 

" The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we 
are the children of God."— Horn. 8: 16. 

Let us be children then in the blessed ease, and 

security, and childlikeness of childhood. Let us 

take the children's happy place of freedom from 

care, and from anxiety; and let us live as the 

children do, in the present moment, without taking 

thought for to-morrow. 

II. He calls us His heirs. 

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs 
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may 
be also glorified together." — Rom. 8: 17. 

" Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if 
a son, then an heir of God through Christ." — Gal. 4:7. 

Let us be heirs then in the sense of entering in_ 

to possession of our inheritance. No earthly heir 

fails or delays to take possession of that which he 

inherits. He may be amazed at the good fortune 

which has befallen him, he may feel himself to 

be utterly unworthy of it; but nevertheless, if he 

is the heir, he takes possession of his inheritance, 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 177 

and rejoices in it. And we who are declared to 
be the heirs of God, must do the same. 

III. He calls us His friends. 

" Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant know- 
eth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; 
for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made 
known unto you."— John 15: 15. 

"And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham 
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteous- 
ness; and he was called the Friend of God." — Jas. 2: 23. 

Let us be His friends then in the best that we 
know of friendship. Let us trust Him, as we like 
our friends to trust us ; let us lean on Him, as 
we beseech our friends to lean on us ; let us try to 
please Him for love's sake, as love leads us to try 
to please our earthly friends. Moreover, let us 
recognize the blessed fact, that if we are His 
friends, He is necessarily our Friend also, and 
that the sweet duties and responsibilities of friend- 
ship are upon His shoulders, as well as upon ours. 

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and 
there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." — 
Prov. 18:24. 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man 
speaketh unto his friend."— Exod. S3: 11. 

If God is our Friend, and if we are His friends, 
He will tell us His secrets; "I have called you 
friends, for all things that I have heard of my 
Father I have made known unto you." (Com- 
pare Gen. 18: 17, and Amos 3: 7). See also, 
Psalm 25 : 14. If we would learn the Lord's se- 
crets, therefore, we must be His friends ; and He 
12 



178 BIBLE READINGS. 



Himself has told us how. "Ye are my friends if 
ye do whatsoever I command you." 

IV. He calls us His brethren. 

" For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified 
are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them 
brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, 
in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee." — 
Heb.2:ll,12. 

Let us be His brethren, then, and take to our 

hearts the wonderful comfort and joy of having 

such an "elder Brother" to bear our burdens and 

share our sorrows. Some of us know the comfort 

of an earthly brother ; let us realize the comfort of 

the Heavenly brother as well. 

" For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to 
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the 
firstborn among many brethren." — Rom. 8:29. 

Since He is the first born in the family, we, 

who are the younger members of it, have surely a 

right to look to Him for all that belongs to an elder 

brother's place, and may without hesitation make 

use of Him as our brother; and lay upon Him a 

brother's burdens. 

V. He calls us His sheep. 

"■ For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, 
and the sheep of His hand. To-day if ye wi]l hear His voice." 
— Ps. 95:7. 

" And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I 
am your God, saith the Lord God." — Ezek. 34:31. 

Let us be sheep then, and abandon ourselves to 

the care of the Shepherd to whom we belong. The 

sheep can not care for themselves, nor protect 

themselves, nor provide food for themselves ; the 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 179 

Shepherd must do it all. The responsibility of 
their well-being is all on his shoulders, not on 
theirs. They have nothing to do but to trust 
him, and to follow him. And the Lord is our 
Shepherd. 

A great many people refuse to be the sheep, 
and insist upon trying to be the Shepherd instead. 
That is, they try to assume all the duties that be- 
long to the Shepherd ; and they entirely decline 
to be cared for and protected as the sheep are. 
Or else they try to be both the sheep and also the 
Shepherd, and to perform the part of each at the 
same time; an impossible and wearisome task. 
Let us cease then trying to be anything but just 
simply what we are; sheep in the care of the 
Divine Shepherd. 

VI. He likens us to birds. 

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do 
they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father 
feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" — 
Matt. 6: 26. 

" Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one 
of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs 
of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are 
of more value than many sparrows." — Luke 12: 6, 7. 

We are to "behold the fowls of the air" that 

we may learn to live a life of freedom and of joy 

such as theirs, in the glad consciousness of our 

Heavenly Father's watchful care and protecting 

love. Let us say then with the poet, 

" It cometh, therefore, to this, Lord, 
That I have considered thy word, 
And I will henceforth be thy bird." 



180 BIBLE READINGS. 



VII. He likens us to chickens, 

"0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, 
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would 
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gather- 
eth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" — 
Matt. 23:37. 

The little chicken hides itself under the for- 
tress of its mother's wings, and feels safe, no 
matter what enemies may be raging around; and 
we also may hide "under His wings," and have 
no fear. Suppose a little chicken should stand 
off trembling and frightened, when the hawk was 
in sight, refusing to go under the mother's wing, 
because it was too small and insignificant and 
helpless. Would not the mother's call say to it 
as plainly as words could speak, "It is just be- 
cause you are little and helpless, that I want you 
under my wing. If you were strong and capable 
of protecting yourself, you would not need my 
wing." And does not God say the same in effect 
to us ? Our helplessness and littleness constitute 
our right to His care. Let us then consent to be 
the little chickens, hidden under the blessed for- 
tress of His Divine wing. 

" He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His 
wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and 
buckler."— Ps. 91:4. 

VIII. He calls us branches of the vine. 

" I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: 
aud every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it 
may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the 
word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 181 

you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it 
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I 
am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, 
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for with- 
out me ye can do nothing." — John 15: 1-5. 

Be branches then, and realize that you have 

no life apart from the vine: and realize also that 

you have nothing to do in order to bring forth 

much fruit, but to abide in the vine. The branch 

cannot bear fruit of itself, in the very nature of 

things. Do not try then, to do it, but abide in 

the vine, and let the life-giving sap flow through 

you, without effort on your part, and without 

anxiety. Only see to it that you do not hinder its 

flow by doubt or by rebellion. Be a branch and a 

branch only, and do not try to be anything else. 

Do not try to make the fruit, but consent to bear 

it. Let it grow. 

IX. He likens us to trees. 

" Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 
hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the 
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and 
shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; 
and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall 
cease from yielding fruit."— Jer. 17:7, 8. 

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall 
grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the 
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God."— 
Ps. 92:12,13. 

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall 
not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." — Ps. 1:3. 

X. He likens us to flowers. 

" And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the 
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do 
they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all 



182 BIBLE READINGS. 

his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if 
God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to- 
morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe 
you, O ye of little faith?"— Matt. 6:28-30. 

" .For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of 
Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant." — Isa. 5: 7. 

Let us be trees and flowers then, and grow as they 
grow, in a happy unconsciousness of our growing. 
Let us consider them "how they grow," and let 
us give up all our straining, and stretching, and 
self-efforts after growth, and try to grow like them 
by the power of an inward growing-life alone. 
% Let us be like them also in this, that we do not 
try to cultivate ourselves. Too many try to be 
their own husbandmen, and to cultivate, and wa- 
ter, and dig about, and prune, and even sometimes 
to plant themselves. They try to be what they 
are not, and what they never can be, i. e., the hus- 
bandman instead of the branches, the gardener 
instead of the garden, the farmer instead of the 
trees and flowers. And of course they fail. But 
let us be what we are, the trees, and flowers, and 
gardens only, and let us leave to our Divine Hus- 
bandman all the care and responsibility of our 
growing and our blooming. 

XI. He likens us to clay. 

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, 
and thou art our potter; and we all are the work of thy 
hands."— Isa. 64:8. 

"O house of Israel, can not I do with you as this potter? 
saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, 
so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel." — Jer. 18: 6. 

Let us be the clay then, and not the potter. Most 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 183 

people try to be both the clay and the potter. But 
this is an impossibility, and only mars the work. 
The clay must be put into the potter's hands, and 
abandoned to his working. The potter takes the 
clay thus abandoned to him, and begins to mould 
and fashion it to his will. The clay can do noth- 
ing but yield itself to the potter and submit to his 
processes : the potter alone can do the fashioning 
and moulding ; and the responsibility for this is 
all on his shoulders, not on the clay. Let us con- 
sent then to be what we are, and give up forever 
trying to be what we are not and never can be. 

" Shall the clay say to him that f ashioneth it, "What makest 
thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?" — Isa. 45: 9. 

XII. He calls us vessels. 

" If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be 
a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's 
use, and prepared unto every good work." — 2 Tim. 2: 21. 

"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a 
chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, 
and kings, and the children of Israel." — Acts 9:15. 

The things that are necessary in a vessel are 
that it should be empty and clean. It is of com- 
paratively little account for purposes of use, as to 
what is its shape or the material of which it is 
made. The Master can fill and use any vessel 
that is emptied of self and is open to receive His 
Spirit. 

XIII. He calls us instruments. 

" Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unright- 
eousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those 
that are alive from the dead, and your members as instru- 
ments of righteousness unto God." — Eom. 6: 13. 



184 BIBLE READINGS. 



" Thou art my battle axe, and weapons of war: for with 
thee will I break in pieces the nations; and with thee will I 
destroy kingdoms." — Jer. 51: 20. 

God does not tell us that we are the work- 
men, who are to use and manage the instru- 
ments, but that we are the instruments to be used 
and managed by the Divine Master Workman 
who made us, and who alone, therefore, under- 
stands for what work we are best fitted, and how 
to use us. The only thing the instrument can do 
is to "yield" itself perfectly to the will of the 
Master Workman. Horn. 6: 16. The Master surely 
knows how best to use His instruments, and it is 
plainly not the business of the tool to decide these 
questions for itself. Neither must it try to help 
by its own efforts to do the work. One absolutely 
necessary characteristic of a tool is its pliableness. 
The moment resistance is felt in any tool, the 
moment it refuses to move just as the master 
wants, that moment it becomes unfit for use. If 
I am writing, and my fine gold pen begins to catch 
and sputter, and to move with difficulty, I will soon 
lay it aside and take gladly in its place even a 
stub end of a lead pencil, if only it will move easily 
in obedience to my will. The strength of an in- 
strument lies in its helplessness. Because it is 
helpless to do anything of itself, therefore the 
master can use it as he pleases. There must be 
no interference on the part of the instrument. So 
Paul says — 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 185 

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for 
my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly 
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power 
of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in 
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in 
distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I 
strong."— 2 Cor. 12:9,10. 

The "power of Christ" can rest fully only upon 

those instruments who have no power of their 

own. 

XIV. He calls us His treasure. 

" For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel 
for His peculiar treasure." — Ps. 135:4. 

" Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my 
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above 
all people: for all the earth is mine." — Exod. 19: 5. 

If God can call us His "peculiar treasure," let 

us take the joy of it to our souls. For, dear and 

precious to our hearts as are those we peculiarly 

love, far more dear and precious must we ourselves 

be to our Father in Heaven, since He calls us 

His "peculiar treasure." We always take especial 

care of our treasures, and God will surely take 

especial care of His. 

XV. He calls us His bride. 

"For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons 
marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, 
so shall thy God rejoice over thee. — Isa. 62: 5. 

"And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will be- 
troth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and 
in loving, kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee 
unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord." — 
Hosea2:19,20. - 

" For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ 
the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body. 
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the 
wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, 



186 BIBLE READINGS. 

love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and 
gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it 
with the washing of water by the word, that He might pre- 
sent it to Himself a glorious church, Dot having spot, or 
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and 
without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their 
own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no 
man ever yet hated his own riesh; but nourisheth and cherish- 
eth it, even as the Lord the»chureh: for we are members of 
His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause 
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined 
unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great 
mystery : but I speak concerning Christ and the church." — 
Eph. 5:23-32.. 

But little need be said concerning this. It 
gives us a sight of the love of espousals between 
Christ's heart and ours. Love takes different 
forms in our lives, and regards its object in many 
different ways. The love here set forth to us in 
this wondrous naming, is the highest and closest 
and most tender that human hearts can know, and 
it pictures to us a glory of affection between 
Christ's heart and ours, such as no words can 
adequately express. It is one of the latest rev- 
elations that come to a soul. At first we seek His 
gifts only, but at last we seek Himself. At first 
we are occupied with our needs, and come to ■ the 
Lord simply to have them supplied. But at last 
we lose sight of the gifts in our longing for the 
Giver, and can be satisfied with nothing short of 
Himself. Our souls cry out for a realized union 
with our Lord. And then there comes to us with 
untold joy the wonderful words, "As a Bridegroom 
rejoices over his bride, so will thy God rejoice 



OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE LORD. 187 

over thee," and we believe them, and enter into 
our rest in the bosom of our Beloved! 

XV. Finally He declares that we are one with 
Himself. 

" That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and 
I in thee, that they also may be one in us : that the world 
may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which 
thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, 
even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may 
be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that 
thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved 
me."— John 17: 21-23. 

"That they may be one !" it is all shut up in this! 

One with the Father as the Son is one ! Similarity 

of thought, of feeling, of desire, of love, of hate! 

We may have it all, if we will. We may walk 

through this life so united to Christ, that our cares 

and our interests, our sorrows and our joys, our 

purposes and our wishes will be the same. One 

will alone to govern, and that His will. One 

mind alone to lead us, and that His mind. He in 

us, and we in Him, will then be our living ; until at 

last, so intermingled and conjoined will our lives 

become, that we shall be able to say in very truth, 

always and everywhere, "Not I, but Christ." For 

self will vanish in such a union as this, and that 

great "I" of ours which so fills up our present 

horizon, will wilt down into nothing before the 

glory of His overcoming presence! Be one, then, 

since He says we are, and let the power of that 

oneness be lived out in every moment of our 

existence. 



188 BIBLE READINGS. 

Dear reader, which one of these figures ex- 
presses thy relationship with thy Lord? Which 
name hast thou had an ear to hear whispered in 
the secret of thy soul? 

" He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to 
eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, 
and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth 
saving he that receiveth it." — Eev. 2:17. 

"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple 
of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write 
upon him the name of my God. and the name of the city of 
my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out 
of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new 
name." — Rev. 3: 12. 

Will we consent to let God write upon us His 
"new name" ? And what shall it be? He awaits 
our answer. For He may call us what He will, but 
until we consent to be what He calls us, the new 
name is not written upon us. 

Choose thy relationship then, either one, or all, 
and henceforward be what thou hast discovered 
thou really art in the mind and will of God. 



BIBLE READINGS 



XIII. 

SUBJECT— FRUIT-BEARING. 

Foundation Text. — Ye have not chosen me, but I have 
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go 
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should 
remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the 
Father in my name, He may give it you" — 
John 15: 16. 

God's purpose in our salvation is that we 
should bring forth fruit. A husbandman plants 
the vine for the sake of the grapes it will bear; 
the farmer plants his apple orchard in order to 
gather fruit. A fruitless christian life is an im- 
possibility. 

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away: 
and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it 
may bring forth more fruit." — John 15: 1, 2. 

"And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: 
every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is 
hewn down, and cast into the fire." — Luke 3 : 9. 

Many are apt to think far more of being saved, 
than of being fruitful But God does not separ- 
ate these things ; to be saved is to be fruitful, and 
to be fruitful is to be saved. 

" He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree 
planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit 
thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of 
his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit 

(189) 



190 BIBLE READINGS. 

on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth 
it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let 
it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 
and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou 
shalt cut it down."— Luke 13:6-9. 

" For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft 
upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it 
is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which 
beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto curs- 
ing; whose end is to be burned." — Heb. 6: 7, 8. 

No matter how good an outward appearance 
our lives may make, no matter how clear our doc- 
trines, nor how great our activities, unless we 
"bear fruit" we can not be acceptable to God. 
And the fruit He desires is character. It is to 
be right even more than to do right. Of course 
the doing will follow the being, but the vital point 
is the being. Most people have too much reversed 
this order, and have made the doing the vital thing ; 
limiting the meaning of fruit-bearing to service, 
eo much work done, so many meetings held, so 
many sermons preached or prayers prayed, such 
and such results accomplished. But God's pri- 
mary idea of fruit is Christ-likeness. 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffer- 
ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: 
against such there is no law." — Gal. 5: 22, 23. 

" For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and right- 
eousness and truth." — Eph. 5:9. 

" For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to 
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the 
firstborn among many brethren." — Rom. 8: 29. 

" And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more 
and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may ap- 
prove things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and 
without offence till the day of Christ: being filled with the 
fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the 
glory and praise of God." — Phil. 1 : 9-11. 



FRUIT-BEARING. 191 

People may do much wonderful so-called Chris- 
tian work, and yet in it all bear not one single 
"fruit of righteousness" that will be "unto the 
glory and praise of God." 

" But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then 
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and 
good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And 
the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make 
peace." — Jas. 3:17, 18. 

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather 
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good 
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth 
forth evil fruit. A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, 
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree 
that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast 
into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." 
—Matt. 7:16-20. 

Some Christians have what is sometimes called 
a "public gift," and can speak or pray in a meet- 
ing to great edification ; but they go home to be 
cross to their families, and bitter towards their 
acquaintances, and fault-finding, and malicious, 
and full of self. They have great outward re. 
suits apparently, but they have not as yet the 
very first and most vital of all the "fruits of the 
Spirit," which is love ; and consequently all the rest, 
grand as it may seem, "profiteth them nothing." 

" Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 
and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a 
tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, 
and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though 
I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have 
not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my 
goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be 
burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." 
1 Cor. 13:1-3. 

" Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto him- 
self; according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased 



192 BIBLE READINGS. 

his altars; according to the goodness of his land they have 
made goodly images." — Hosea 10: 1. 

To "bring forth fruit to himself" means simply 

that self is the center and end of all the work. 

To bring glory to self, to gain advantage for self, 

to secure future rewards for self, to exalt self in 

some way, this is the secret end and aim of such 

service, and God calls it an "empty vine." 

" Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or eke 
make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is 
known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, be- 
ing evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good 
treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil 
man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." — 
Matt. 12:33-35., 

In the very nature of things it is impossible for 

an "evil man" to bring forth good things; for, 

even though we do not know it and surely do not 

intend it, yet it is nevertheless an inexorable fact 

that "out of the abundance of the heart" the life 

will be lived. We can not "put on" in spiritual 

things. If our tree is corrupt, our fruit will be 

corrupt also, no matter how much we may try 

to train it up or make it appear well. 

" For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit: neither 
doth acorrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is 
known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, 
nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out 
of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which 
is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart 
bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the 
heart his mouth speaketh." — Luke 6:43-46. 

If the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, and 

gentleness, and meekness, and long-suffering, are 



FRUIT-BEARING. 193 

not seen in a man's life, then the Spirit cannot 

be there either, for where the Spirit is, His fruits 

mnst necessarily be manifest. 

" But when He saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees 
come to His baptism, He said unto them, O generation of 
vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think 
not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our 
father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to 
raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is 
laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which 
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the 
fire."— Matt. 3: 7-10. 

Even to have "Abraham to our father" will not 

save us, neither will any other outward relation or 

position. Nothing but the fruits of the Spirit can 

come from the Spirit; and without these fruits, no 

one can claim to be walking in the Spirit, let their 

outward activities or eminence in the church be 

what they may. 

"For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the 
fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they de- 
spised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit 
of their own way. and be filled with their own devices." — 
Prov. 1:29-31. 

The "fruit of our own way" may look like 

goodly fruit to the eye of flesh, but the soul that 

is compelled to "eat" of it, will find itself starved 

as to its true inner life. 

" I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give 
every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit 
of his doings."— Isa. 3: 10. 

Man may judge by outward appearances, but 

the Lord "searches the heart," and gives to each 

one of us according to the fruit He finds there. 

13 



194 BIBLE READINGS. 

We who are Christian workers need especially 

to realize this. "We need to understand that no 

amount of preaching or praying, or singing, or 

weeping, or groaning will do, instead of being 

gentle, and meek, and long suffering, and good. 

A great many people want to work for the Lord, 

but do not want to be good for Him ; but it is the 

goodness He cares for, far more than the work. 

If you can not do both, choose the being good, 

for it is infinitely more important. 

" Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved 
touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a "vineyard 
in a very fruitful hill: and he fenced it, and gathered out the 
stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and 
built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press 
therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and 
it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of 
Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt 
me and my vineyard, What could have been done more to 
my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? wherefore, when I 
looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth 
wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do 
to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it 
shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it 
shall be trodden down: and I will lay it waste: it shall not 
be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and 
thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no 
rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the 
house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant: 
and He looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for 
righteousness, but behold a cry." — Isa. 5: 1-7. 

We must see to it that the fruit we bring forth 

in our lives does not partake of the nature of 

"wild grapes," which set the teeth of all with 

whom we live in our every day lives, on edge. 

There are alas! too many such Christians to be 

found, even sometimes among those who are 



FRUIT-BEARINQ. 195 

"pillars in the Church." Could their families 
speak, they could tell of "oppression" and a "cry" 
that would wring the heart for its pitiful sadness. 

" For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields 
of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters 
are bitter."— Deut. 82 : 32. 

"Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: 
how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a 
strange vine unto me?" — Jer. 2:21. 

How then does this "good fruit" come? There 

is only one way in which it can come. It grows 

from the seed God plants. 

"And he said. So is the kingdom of God, as if a man 
should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise 
night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he 
knoweth not how. For the, earth bringeth forth fruit of her- 
self; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in 
the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately 
he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And 
he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or 
with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a 
grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is 
less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is 
sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, 
and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air 
may lodge under the shadow of it." — Mark 4:26-32. 

"And He taught them many things by parables, and said 
unto them in His doctrines, Hearken; Behold, there went 
out a sower to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some 
fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and de- 
voured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had 
not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it 
had no depth of earth: but when the sun was up, it was 
scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And 
some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked 
it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, 
and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought 
forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred." — 
Mark 4:2-8. 

Fruit does not come by effort, but by growth. 

It unfolds from within. There must be first a 



196 BIBLE READINGS. 

good inward life, before there can be good out- 
ward fruit. What would we think of a farmer 
who should make an orchard by beginning at the 
apples ; and should collect bushel after bushel of 
excellent fruit, should tie these on branches, and 
fasten the branches to tree trunks, and then fasten 
the trunks to the roots, and finally plant the trees 
thus made, in the ground? And yet this would 
not be more foolish than it is to try to begin the 
Christian life at the works end instead of the 
character end. 

" Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto 
his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Con- 
sider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, 
neither do the'y spin: and yet I say unto you, That even 
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these, 
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to- 
day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much 
more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"— Matt. 6: 27-30. 

" A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can 
a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." — Matt. 7: 18. 

Notice the word "cannot" in this passage. It 
does not say will not, but cannot. It expresses 
an impossibility, in the very nature of things. 
No outward "putting on" therefore will avail any- 
thing in the matter of fruit bearing. The tree 
itself must be good, or the fruit it bears "cannot" 
be good, try as hard as we may. 

Some people always walk on spiritual stilts 
when before others. If they are riding in a rail- 
way car, they take out their Bibles in order to look 
pious ; when they write a letter, they try to put in 
some expressions that will show their religion ; they 



FRUIT-BEARING. 197 

interlard their conversation with pions ejacula- 
tions. They can never afford to be natural in the 
presence of others, for fear they should not be con- 
sidered as religious as they really are. They do 
their works to be " seen of men," and verily they 
do indeed have their reward. Man sees and praises ; 
but God sees and condemns. 

" Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be 
seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father 
which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, 
do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in 
the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory 
of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand 3aiow what 
thy right hand doeth : that thine alms may be in secret : and 
thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee 
openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the 
hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the syna- 
gogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be 
seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their re- 
ward."— Matt. 6:1-5. 

"A man can never be more than his character 
makes him. A man can never do more nor better 
than deliver or embody that which is his charac- 
ter. Nothing valuable can come out of a man 
that is not first in the man. Character must stand 
behind and back up every thing, the sermon, the 
poem, the picture, the book. None of them is 
worth a straw without it." 

" Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. 
My brethren, these thirigs ought not so to be. Doth a foun- 
tain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 
Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, 
figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. 
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? 
let him shew out of a good conversation his works with 
meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and 



198 BIBLE READINGS. 



strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sen- 
sual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is con- 
fusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from 
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be en- 
treated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and 
without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown 
in peace of them that make peace." — Jas. 3:10-18. 

"And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 
Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the 
mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 
But those things which, proceed out of the mouth come forth 
from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the 
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornica- 
tions, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the 
things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands 
defileth not a man."— Matt. 15: 16-20. 

Character then is the essential thing. What is 

in the heart, and what "comes out of the heart" 

are the only realities in life. And if we fail to 

see this, we are yet, as our Lord said, "without 

understanding." In the very nature of things a 

fig tree cannot bear both figs and thistles, and 

neither likewise can blessing and cursing be the 

fruit of the same spirit. 

"No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the 
one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and 
despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon." — 
Matt. 6:24 

"For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from 
righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things 
whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is 
death. But now being made free from sin, and become ser- 
vants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the e~ 3 
everlasting life."— Eom. 6: 20-22. 

What then is the secret of true fruit-bearing ? 

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear 
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, 
except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. 
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth 



FRUIT-BEARING. 199 

much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man 
abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; 
and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they 
are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in 
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so 
shall ye be my disciples." — John 15: 4-8. 

Here again we have the inexorable nature of 

things, "The branch cannot bear fruit of itself." 

Try as hard as we may, no fruit is possible except 

we "abide in Christ." Other things are possible; 

wonderful works perhaps, eminent service, great 

benevolences, but not the "fruit of the Spirit." 

This fruit cannot come from any other source 

than from the indwelling Spirit. 

" Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the 
law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to 
another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we 
should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the 
flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work 
in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." — Bom. 7: 4, 5. 

* 4 I will be as the dew unto Israel : he shall grow as the 
lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall 
spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his 
smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall 
return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: 
the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim 
shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard 
Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree. From 
me is thy fruit found."— Hosea 14: 5-8. 

"He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: 
Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world 
with fruit."— Isa. 27:6. 

" From me is thy fruit found," not from any- 
thing of the flesh, not from our own activities, not 
from anything of self in any way, but from God 
alone. And He alone can perfect His own fruit. 
"Every branch in me that bearethnot fruit He taketh 



200 BIBLE READINGS. 

away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, 
that it may bring forth more fruit." — John 15: 2. 

It is the husbandman's business to prune and 
purge the vine in order to make it fruitful. And 
we must accept all the storms and sorrows of life 
as the purgings necessary to make us bring forth 
"more fruit." To an inexperienced eye the trim- 
ming and cutting of the gardener often seem ruth- 
less, and we cry out to him to spare the vine. But 
in the autumn, when the rich clusters of fruit are 
hanging from the same vine, we acknowledge his 
wisdom and applaud his skill. And in our soul life 
we may similarly be tempted sometimes to ques- 
tion the wisdom or the goodness of the Divine 
Husbandman, when He sees it necessary to cut off 
our most flourishing branches, or to trim our life 
of its dearest joys. But the Husbandman knows 
what is best for His vine and we must leave it all 
to Him. 

" For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, work- 
eth for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 
—2 Cor. 4:17. 

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh 
unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the 
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of 
Him: for whom the Lord ioveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth 
every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God 
dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the 
father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, 
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 
Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which cor- 
rected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much 
rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own 
pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers 
of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth 



FRUIT-BEARING. 201 

to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yield- 
eth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are 
exercised thereby." — Heb. 12: 5-11. 

What then must we do if we would bring forth 

"much fruit?" 

I. We must abandon ourselves to the Lord and 
trust Him perfectly. 

" Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 
hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the 
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and 
shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; 
and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall 
cease from yielding fruit." — Jer. 17:7, 8. 

" Blessed i3 the man that walketh not in the counsel of the 
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in 
the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the 
Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And 
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that 
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall 
not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The 
ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind 
driveth away." — Psalm 1: 1-4. 

II. We must receive the truth and believe it; 
and must keep on steadfastly believing it, against 
all seemings. 

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 
Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the 
devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they 
should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, 
which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these 
have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of tempt- 
ation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are 
they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked 
with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no 
fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are 
they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the 
word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." — 
Luke 8: 11-15. 

" Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these 
judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord thy God 
shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which He 
sware unto thy fathers: and He will love thee, and bless 



202 BIBLE READINGS. 

thee, and multiply thee: He will also bless the fruit of thy 
womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and 
thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, 
in the land which He sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 
Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be 
male or female barren among you, or among your cattle." — 
Deut. 7: 12-14. 

" But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all 
these commandments; and if ye shall despise my statutes, 
or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do 
all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant. 
******* your strength shall be spent in vain: 
for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the 
trees of the land yield their fruits."— Lev. 26; 14: 15, 20. 

III. We must submit ourselves to God's will, 

and must obey His voice. 

" If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, 
and do them; then I will give rain in due season, and the 
land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall 
yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the 
vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto tha sowing time: 
and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land 
safely."— Lev. 26:3-5. 

" And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake 
thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy 
God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt 
thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, 
and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the 
increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed 
shall be thy basket and thy store. ****** And 
the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of 
thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of 
thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy 
fathers to give thee."— Deut. 28: 2-5, 11. 

IY. We must die as to the self-life, and must 

be alive only to the indwelling life of Christ. 

" Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat 
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it 
bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose 
it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto 
life eternal."— John 12: 24, 25. 

" Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the 
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteous- 
ness: by whose stripes ye were healed." — 1 Pet. 2: 24. 



FRUIT-BEARING. 203 

" For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which 
were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth 
fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, 
that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve 
in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." — 
Eom. 7:5,6. 

In order to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, 
we must live in the Spirit, and must die to all that 
is of the flesh. If we would bear fruit to God, 
we must cease to bear fruit to self. 

" And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with 
the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also 
walk in the Spirit."— Gal. 5 : 24, 25. 

"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the 
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put 
on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness 
and true holiness."— Eph. 4: 22-24. 

While however the primary sense of fruit- 
bearing is character, there is also a fruitfulness 
in service that follows as the outcome of this 
inward life. 

Fruit always covers a seed, and a new growth 

will therefore invariably follow in the wake of all 

fruit-bearing. The fruit is simply the wrapping 

which is aroimd the seed ; and if your fruit-bearing 

is real, and not fictitious, there will be sown by 

your living, seeds of life in the world around you 

that will spring up in wondrous fruitfulness in the 

hearts of others. 

" For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not 
cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled 
with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual 
understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto 
all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increas- 
ing in the knowledge of God."— Col. 1:9, 10. 



204 BIBLE READINGS. 

" By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to 
God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks 
to His name."— Heb. 13: 15. 

" And I will make them and the places round about my 
hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in 
his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree 
of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her 
increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know 
that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their 
yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served 
themselves of them."— Ezek. 34: 26, 27. 

"For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give 
her fruits, and the ground shall give her increase, and the 
heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of 
this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to 
pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of 
Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall 
be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong." — 
Zech.8:12,13. 

Does your fruit cover a seed of good? Are 
you "made a blessing?" Is there so much sweet- 
ness, and gentleness, and meekness, and love, in 
your daily living as to be a seed of blessing in the 
hearts of your family, and friends, and neighbors ? 
Or does your life sow seeds of hatred, and anger, 
and all unlovely and un-Christlike things ? 

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a 
man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to 
his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sow- 
eth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And 
let us not weary in well doing: for in due season we shall 
reap, if we faint not." — Gal. 6: 7-9. 

There is no more solemn fact in all the uni- 
verse than this, that what a man sows that shall 
he also reap. And the only escape from it is to 
be found in the rooting out of the seed which has 
been sown to the flesh, and the planting of a new 
crop. Yv T e must begin to bring forth fruit unto 



FRUIT-BEARING. 205 

God and from God only, that is those divine fruits 
of the Spirit whose seed will spring up in blessing 
for all around us. 

" Let your light so shine before men, that they may see 
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." 
—Matt. 5: 16. 

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in 
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." — 1 Cor. 6:20. 

"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle 
of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, bat with the 
Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly 
tables of the heart."— 2 Cor. 3: 3. 

It may well be that our Divine Husbandman is 

seeking fruit at this very moment from many of 

the trees of His planting, and is finding none, in 

spite of a great outward show of greenness and 

vigor. 

"And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, 
He was hungry: and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, 
He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon : aud when 
He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of 
figs was not yet."— Mark 11: 12, 13. 

" These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast 
with you, feeding themselves without fear; clouds they are 
without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit 
withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots." 
— Jude :12. 

"They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those 
wicked men, and will let out His vineyard unto other hus- 
bandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, 
The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become 
the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is 
marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The 
kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a na- 
tion bringing forth the fruits thereof." — Matt. 21 : 41-43. 

From many an active Christian has the "king 

dom been taken," to their great surprise; but the 

secret of it, if looked for, would be found in this 



206 BIBLE READINGS. 

simple fact, that that Christian has not been 
"bringing forth the fruits thereof." 

But let us be among the number of those whose 
fruit shall be so truly "the fruit of the Spirit" as 
to be always to the praise of God's glory. 

"A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut 
up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pome- 
granites, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, 
spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees 
of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: 
a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams 
from Lebanon." — Cant. 4: 12-15. - 

"Tho righteous shall nourish like the palm tree: he shall 
grow lilie a cedar in Lebanon. _ Those that be planted in the 
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat 
and flourishing."— Psalm 92: 12-14. 

And let us be content with whatever purging or 

pruning our Divine Husbandman may see to be 

necessary for our perfecting, anxions only to "lay 

up pleasant fruits" for our beloved, that He may 

see of the travail of His soul in ns and be satisfied. 

"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon 
my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my 
beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits." 
—Cant. 4: 16. 

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have 
gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honey- 
comb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: 
eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." — 
Cant, 5:1.. 

"The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all 
manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up 
for thee, O my beloved."— Cant. 7: 13. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



XIV. 



SUBJECT— FIVE TALENTS OR ONE?— A LES- 
SON ON SERVICE.— Matt. 25:14-46. 

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a 
far country, ivho called his own servants, and delivered unto 
them his goods."— Veise 14. 

This is a parable concerning service, and is full 
of most important teaching. "His own servants ;" 
this nmst mean disciples, followers, in other words, 
Christians. Evidently all the servants were called. 
None were left out, none were expected to pass 
the time of the Master's absence in idleness. And 
therefore if you are in the household, the call is 
to you. No member of the household is excepted. 
None can excuse themselves because they have not- 
been called, for the call is to every one. 

"For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who 
left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to 
every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." — 
Mark 13:34. 

"To every man his work." Not the same work 

to all, but each one has his own talent and his 

own place. And each one is responsible only for 

that which is given to him himself to do. This 

seems too plain to be spoken of ; but as a fact, most 

members of God's household are more concerned 

(207) 



BIBLE READINGS. 



about the work given to some one else, than about 

that given to themselves. 

"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall 
this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry 
till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." — John 21: 
21, 22. 

Not what others do or leave undone, but what 
I myself do or leave undone, is the vital thing in 
my soul life. 

Neither should I care for the judgment of 

others concerning my work. A servant in a 

household is not anxious to know what the master 

or mistress next door may think of him or his 

work, but only what his own master and mistress 

think. 

"But with me it is a \ery small thing that I should be 
judged of you, or of man's judgment : yea, i judge not mine own 
self. Eor I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby 
justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore 
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who 
both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and 
will make manifest the counsels of the hearts : and then shall 
every man have praise of God." — 1 Cor. 4:3-5. 

Only One who can see the end from the beginning 

is able to judge a righteous judgment ; therefore the 

servants of Christ must reserve their judgment of 

one another, until the final judgment is declared 

by their common Master. And we are therefore 

in truth forbidden to judge at all. • 

"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his 
own master he standeth or falleth; yea, he shall beholden up: 
for God is able to make him stand." — Rom. 14:4. 

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speak- 
eth evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh 
evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE? 209 

law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." — Jas. 4:11. 
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judg- 
ment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure 
ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why be- 
holdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but con- 
sidered not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how 
wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of 
thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou 
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and 
then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy 
brother's eye."— Matt. 7:1-5. 

We are each one to do our own work faithfully, 

without regard to how our fellow workers may do 

theirs. If these plain and positive rules were 

followed in the church of Christ, what a millenium 

of peace we should have! 

"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou 
set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the 
judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith 
the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue 
shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give 
account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one 
another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a 
stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." 
— Eom. 14:10-13. 

Our only judging must be lest we ourselves put 

a stumbling-block in our brother's way. What 

wonderful Christian harmony such judging as 

this would cause! 

"He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far 
country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And 
he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, 
and said unto them, Occupy till I come." — Luke 19 :12, 13. 

Of course, the object of the Master in giving 

talents to His servants, is that they shall "occupy" 

them until His return. To occupy, means to use, 

not to lay away in a napkin. But we must notice 

that the talents were not all alike, 

14 



210 BIBLE READINGS. 

"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to 
another one; to every man according to his several ability; 
and straightway took his journey." — Verse 15. 

"To every man according to his several ability." 

All are not capable of the same work, and the 

Master's gifts are apportioned to us, according to 

our individual capacity. 

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 
And there are differences of administrations, but the same 
Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the 
same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation 
of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to 
one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another 
the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another 
faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by 
the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to 
another prophesy; to another discerning of spirits; to another 
divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of 
tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame 
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." — 
ICor. 12:4r-ll. 

The gifts are different, but the responsibility 

of using them is the same in every case. And 

yet notice the conduct of these servants. 

"Then he that had received the five talents went and 
traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other 
two. But he that had received one, went and digged in the 
earth and hid his lord's money." — Verses 16-18. 

Two of the servants used their talents faith- 
fully; but one of them thought his talent was so 
small that it would not amount to anything much, 
even if he did use it, and the risk of failure 
seemed to him too great. Therefore he hid it in 
a safe place, to be returned intact to the Master 
when He should call for an account. 
"After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and, 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE ? 211 

reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five 
talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, 
thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained 
besia.0 them five talents more. His lord said unto him, 
Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many 
things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had 
received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst 
unto me two talents; behold I have gained two other talents 
beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and 
faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I 
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the 
joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent 
came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, 
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou 
hast not strawed. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy 
talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast that is thine." — Verses 
19-25. 

There are many such Christians in the house- 
hold of faith. They are conscious of possessing 
only one talent, and that, perhaps, a very insignifi- 
cant one; and they can not see that any good 
whatever can possibly come from the using of it. 
Then, besides, they have hard thoughts of their 
Divine Master, and believe that His judgment of 
them and of their work will be as critical and 
severe, as they fear human judgments will be, or 
as their own have often been of others, and conse- 
quently they are afraid to work at all. 

"Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou 
slanderest thine own mother's son. These things hast thou 
done, and I kept silence ; thou thoughtest that I was altogether 
such a one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them 
in order before thine eyes." — Ps. 50 :20, 21. 

Many sit and judge their brother harshly, and 

then they think God is like themselves, and will 

judge them as harshly; and they are afraid of 

Him, as though He were a "hard man." 



212 BIBLE READINGS. 

"And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy 
pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: for I feared 
thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up that 
thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow." 
—Luke 19:20, 21. 

We are far too apt to think that God is "alto- 
gether such a one as ourselves" in the worst ele- 
ments of our characters, and to doubt whether He 
is as good as ourselves in the best. 

We think His judgments are as harsh and 
exacting as ours often are ; but we never dream His 
love is as charitable, and considerate, and tender 
as ours sometimes is. If we would judge Him by 
our best instead of by our worst, we would form a 
far different idea of Him, and be far less afraid of 
Him, than is now, alas, too often the case. 

Contrast the final judgment given in the case 
of these servants. 

To the one with five talents was said: 

" His lord said unto him, "Well done, thou good and faith- 
ful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will 
make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of 
thy lord." — -Verse 21. 

To the one with two talents was said: 

" His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful serv- 
ant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make 
thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy 
lord."— Verse 23. 

To the one with one talent was said: 

" His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and 
slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, 
and gather where I have not strawed: thou oughtest there- 
fore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at 
my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE? 213 

which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall 
be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that 
hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." — 
Verses 26-29. 

In the two first cases it is "Well done, thou good 
and faithful servant," and in the last, "Thou 
wicked and slothful servant." The difference was 
not in the amount done or left undone, but in the 
faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the talents given. 
The servant with the two talents was commended 
in just the same words as the one with five. And 
the servant with only one talent, would have re- 
ceived a similar approval, had he shown a similar 
faithfulness. 

For such a commendation who would not strive ? 
To hear the Master say "Well done" at last, would 
surely repay one for all that might have been 
passed through to deserve it! 

" Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ 
and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is re- 
quired in stewards, that a man be found faithful." — 
1 Cor. 4: 1, 2. 

" He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in 
much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in 
much." — Luke 16: 10. 

A steward is not responsible for the amount of 
things intrusted to his care , he is only responsi- 
ble for the care of that which is intrusted ; and the 
praise or blame that awaits him depends altogether 
and only upon the way he has fulfilled his trust, 
whether that trust has been one talent or many. 

Alas! how many talents are "laid up in nap- 
kins" in the church of Christ, whose owners never 



214: BIBLE READINGS. 

dream of the sad condemnation that awaits them! 
Their sole duty was to "occupy" the talent given, 
but because it was small and apparently c f little 
account, they have failed. We are not praised or 
blamed for the number of our talents, but simply 
and only for the faithful or unfaithful use of those 
given. We can not escape this fact. One day 
we must face our record in reference'" to it; and 
far better will it be for us to do this now, than to 
wait until it is too late to alter it. 

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of 
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his 
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or 
bad."— 2 Cor. 5:10. 

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with 
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." 
— Eccl. 12: 14. 

" So then every one of us shall give account of himself 
to God."— Rom. 14: 12. 

We can not avoid giving in this "account," for it 

is one that gives itself. Our life work tells in the 

formation of character, and it is the character we 

have formed that is lo be the judgment given. 

In the very nature of things we receive for that 

which we have done, and we can not help it. 

" And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." — Verse 30. 

This is a very solemn word. For we see that 
it is the "unprofitable servant" merely, who was 
cast into this outer darkness where there is weep- 
ing and gnashing of teeth : not one who had com- 
mitted some great crime, but one who had simply 
been "unprofitable." And it was a "servant" too; 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE? 215 

not an outsider, but one of the "household," evi- 
dently a believer in his Lord and Master. Have 
we ever dreamed that to be merely an "unprofita- 
ble servant" was so serious and grievous a thing 
as this? 

We Christians have been used to appropriating 
this Scripture to sinners, feeling that, as for our- 
selves, we had nothing to do with it, and need not 
give it a second thought. But we can not escape 
this fact, that it was a condemnation pronounced 
on the unprofitable servant, who had done nothing 
but hide his talent in the earth because he was 
afraid to use it. I would that every child of God 
would solemnly consider this. 

But some may think that they at least do not 
possess even the one talent. The remainder of 
our chapter will answer such. 

Our Lord at once followed the parable we have 
been considering, with another, which was evident- 
ly intended to elucidate the first, and to show what 
is the work He has given us to do, and what are 
the talents, whether one or many, which He has 
bestowed upon us. 

"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all 
the holy angels •with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne 
of His glory; and before Him shall be gathered all nations: 
and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd 
divideth hi3 sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep 
on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the 
King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of 
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world: for I was a hungered, and ye gave 
me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a 



216 BIBLE READINGS. 

stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me. 
I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto 
me# * * * * Then shall He say also unto them on the left 
hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels: for I was a hungered, and 
ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye 
clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." 
—Verses 31-36, 41-43. 

The work to which we are called is the Christ- 
like work of helping and saving, and the talents 
given us for use are those common to humanity, 
i. e., the power of ministering to the sick, and help- 
less, and needy, and sinful. The difference between 
the sheep and the goats was just this, that the 
one "occupied" these homely talents and did this 
Christ-like work, and the other did not. 

"Pure religion and un defiled before God and the Father is 
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and 
to keep himself unspotted from the world." — James 1 : 27. 

" What doth it profit my brethren, though a man say he 
hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a 
brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and 
one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed 
and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things 
which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, 
a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me 
thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith 
by my works." — James 2: 14-18. 

It is always easy to say things, but the doing 
is the vital point. It is possible to be very 
"pious" in all religious performances, to fast and 
pray and "afflict one's soul," and to "say" all man- 
ner of good things ; and yet to have after all very 
little "pure religion and undefiled before God and 
the Father;" and to be, without knowing it, classed 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE? 217 

in the mind of the Master among the goats on 
His left hand at the last. 

" Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? 
wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no 
knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleas- 
ure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife 
and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness : ye shall 
not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on 
high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man 
to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, 
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call 
this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this 
the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wicked- 
ness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go 
free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy 
bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are 
cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou 
cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own 
flesh?"— Isa. 58: 3-7. 

All the talking, or fasting, or weeping, or wear- 
ing of sackcloth in the world, will not do as a sub- 
stitute for the Christ-like life of love and kind- 
ness towards our fellow-men. The "fast He has 
chosen " is to help the needy and raise the fallen, 
and nothing will do instead of this. 

A great many Christians never do anything 
except "for themselves." Whether they fast, or 
whether they eat and drink, it is all for themselves, 
to save their own souls, or to help forward their 
own experience ; but they never lift a hand to help 
any one else. Their religion is all for self -exalta- 
tion, in one way or another, either now or here- 
after, and not truly for the glory of God at all. 
And they are so absorbed in self, that they do not 
even know that they are condemned. 



218 BIBLE READINGS. 

"Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when 
saw we thee a hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, 
or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then 
shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inas- 
much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it 
not to me." — Verses 44, 45. 

"When saw we," they ask; never dreaming that 

because they have not served their fellow men, 

they have therefore failed to serve their Master. 

"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: 
but the righteous into life eternal." — Verse 46. 

Notice the grievous condemnation here be- 
stowed upon those who had simply failed to do 
this Christlike work. The punishment inflicted 
is not because of actual sins committed, but sim- 
ply and only because of some kind deeds left un- 
done. And I fear lest some church members, 
who have been very lavish in meting out this con- 
demnation to the outside sinner, may find that it 
belongs quite as much to themselves, viewed 
in the searching light of God's eternal day. 

"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather 
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good 
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth 
forth evil fruit. A good treo can not bring forth evil fruit, 
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree 
that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast 
into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of 
my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that 
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and 
in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many 
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I 
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniauity." — 
Matt. 7:16-23. 

"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying-, Lord, when 
saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE? 219 



thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee 
in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, 
or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall 
answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as 
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye 
have done it unto me." — Verses 37-40. 

Notice the word "Inasmuch" in this passage. 
If any one is kind to a child of ours who may be 
absent from us, it is as if he had been kind to 
ourselves. "Inasmuch" as they do it to one of 
them, they do it to us. When therefore, we put 
forth our hands to help any soul for whom Christ 
died, even though that soul may have been so 
sinful as to be cast into prison, we are doing it to 
Him. Let these blessed words "Inasmuch" and 
"Well done" fire our souls to all deeds of kind- 
ness and of love. 

"And John answered Him, saying, Master, we saw one 
casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us; and 
we forbade him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus 
said, Forbid him not; for there is no man which shall do a 
miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For 
he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall 
give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye 
belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his 
reward."— Mark 9:38-41. 

All Christ-like work is begotten by Christ, 

even though it may be by one who "followeth not 

us." Christ was goodness personified, and he 

who is good is allied to Christ although he may 

never have heard of Him. Whoever takes the 

side of goodness, takes the side of Christ, in the 

mind of God. It is as if a lone man, in the midst 

of slave-holders, should come to a belief in freedom 



220 BIBLE READINGS. 

for slaves. We would say of him, "He is one of 
us;" although he might never have heard of the 
anti- slavery party to which we belong. Surely we 
could never forbid such a one either by word or 
deed from casting out the devils of sin and oppres- 
sion, nor refuse to join in his work. 

Not even so small a talent as a cup of water is 
too small to be used for the Master; arid to this, 
equally as to the great hospital built or the great 
reform wrought by those of larger gifts, will the 
blessed approval come, "Well done, good and 
faithful servant." And perhaps even more to 
the first than to the last. 

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how 
the people cast money into the treasury: and many that 
were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor 
widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 
And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, 
Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more 
in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all 
they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did 
cast in all that she had, even all her living." — Mark 12 :4l-44. 

It is not much to give out of one's abundance; 
but to give "out of one's want," all that one has, 
whether in time, or in talent, or in sympathy, this 
is the thing that receives the Lord's approval. If 
then you have only one talent, and the service 
you render is "out of your want" instead of out 
of your abundance, even though it be all that you 
have, cast it into the Lord's treasury, and be sure 
you shall win His approval, whether the world 
approves or not. 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE? 221 

In Exodus xxxv we have a beautiful picture 
of the sort of service our divine Master loves. 
Each one brought ivhat he had. And they 
brought it so willingly, that soon there was more 
than enough. 

"And they came, both men ancf. women, as many as were 
willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and 
rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that 
offered, offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And 
every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and 
scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams: 
and badgers' skins, brought them. Every one that did offer 
an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord's offering, 
and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any 
work of the service, brought it. And all the women that 
were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought 
that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and 
of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart 
stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. And the rulers 
brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and 
for the breastplate; and spice, and oil for the light, and for 
the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children 
of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every 
man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for 
all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be 
made by the hand of Moses."— Exod. 35:22-29. 

"And they received of Moses all the offering, which the 
children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of 
the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet 
unto him free offerings every morning. And all the wise 
men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every 
man from his work which they made; and they spake unto 
Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for 
the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. 
And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be 
proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man 
nor woman make any more work for the offering of the 
sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 
For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make 
it, and too much."— Exod. 36:3-7. 

If this sort of service were offered by the 
church of Christ to her divine Master now, it would 



222 BIBLE READINGS. 

not be so hard as it is to find willing workers 
to send forth into the great harvest field; and 
the ranks of the Woman's Christian Temperance 
Union, and of all other societies which are work- 
ing for the uplifting of fallen humanity, would 
fill up with amazing rapidity. 

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap 
also sparingly ; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap 
also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in 
his heart, so let hini give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for 
God loveth a cheerful giver." — 2 Cor. 9:6, 7. 

"Willing" service is the only kind that is really 
acceptable to the Lord. We are apt to think that 
the service which is a "cross" to us must be more 
meritorious. But is it more meritorious for a 
mother and father to care for their children if 
they find it a "great cross" to do so? Do we 
value the services of our friends more, if they are 
grudging services, than if they are poured out 
willingly from loving hearts ? And can we imag- 
ine our divine Master will feel about service to 
Himself differently from us? 

"And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy 
servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall 
appoint." — 2 Sam. 15:15. 

"Whatsoever" let it be one talent or five; my 
work, not the work of any other, a cup of water, 
a mite, a few kind words, a murmured prayer, 
"whatsoever" thy hands find to do, do it with thy 
might. And thy reward shall be sure. For 
whether thy talents be five or one, if they are only 



FIVE TALENTS OR ONE 9 223 

faithfully used for the Master, there shall cer- 
tainly one day sound in thy ears the blessed 
words, ''Inasmuch," and "Well done." 

"Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning. 
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, 
when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh 
and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed 
are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find 
watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, 
and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and 
serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or 
come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those 
servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house 
had known what hour the thief would come, he would have 
watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken 
through. Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of man 
cometh at an hour when ye think not." — Luke 12:35-40. 

Let us close our lesson then with the solemn 

question asked by David of the children of Israel^ 

hundreds of years ago; and let us make our 

answer as full and prompt as theirs. 

"And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day 
unto the Lord."— 1 Chron. 29:5. 

"Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of 
Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with 
the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, and gave for 
the service of the house of God, of gold five thousand talents 
and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, 
and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred 
thousand talents of iron. And they with whom precious 
stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of 
the Lord; by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. 

"Then the people rejoiced for that they offered willingly, 
because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: 
and David the king also rejoiced with great joy." — 1 Chron. 
29:6-9 ■ 



BIBLE READINGS 



XV. 

SUBJECT— GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 

Foundation Text. — What! know ye not that your body 
is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, 
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? 
For ye an bought with a price : therefore glorify 
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are 
God's."—! Cor. 6:19, 20. 

"What! know ye not?" Alas! how few of us 
really know that we are not our own, and that we 
do actually and truly belong to God! "We have 
heard it and read of it often enough, and have 
perhaps thought we believed it ; but as to really 
knowing it, this is a different matter. And yet it 
is essential to our peace and well being that we 
should know it. Any doubt as to our real place 
and position toward God is a grievous hindrance 
to our spiritual prosperity and development. 

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath 
spoken; I have nourished and brought up children, and they 
have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and 
the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my peo- 
ple doth not consider." — Isa. 1 :2, 3. 

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because 
thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that 
thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the 
law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." — Hosea 4:6. 

It is therefore of vital importance that we 
15 (225) 



226 BIBLE READINGS. 

should know how matters stand between ourselves 
and the Lord. There is a great deal of hope and a 
great deal of desire, but knowledge after all is the 
only stable thing. Our first step therefore in this 
matter of God's ownership must be to find out the 
facts of the case, as to whom we really do belong, 
whether to ourselves or to God. 

Let us see what is the testimony of Scripture 
on this. 

"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so 
also the soul of the son is mine." — Ezek. 18:4. 

"For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of 
His inheritance." — Deut. 32:9. 

"For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether 
we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or 
die, we are the Lord's." — Eom. 14:8. 

"We belong to God by creation ; and we belong 
to Him also in a still deeper sense by redemption. 

"But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, 
and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." 
— Isa. 64:8. 

"Know ye, that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath 
made. us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the 
sheep of His pasture." — Ps. 100:3. 

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel be- 
fore the Lord our maker. For He is our God; and we are 
the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." — Ps. 
95:6,7. 

Anything a man makes is surely his own, 

without a possibility of question. Therefore the 

blessed fact that God is our Maker, involves in 

the very nature of things, the still more blessed 

fact that He is therefore our Owner also. 

"But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, 
and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 227 

redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name: thou art 
mine." — Isa. 43:1. 

In a still deeper sense is God our Owner, be- 
cause He has redeemed us. All the world over 
the rights of a man's possession, in anything he 
has bought and paid for, are recognized without a 
question; and if we apply this rule to the fact 
that we have been purchased by the "precious 
blood of Christ," we shall get a little idea of how 
utterly and incontrovertibly we belong to Him. 

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with 
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain con- 
versation received by tradition from your fathers; but with 
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish 
and without spot." — 1 Pet. 1 :18, 19. 

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, 
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to 
feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His 
own blood."— Acts 20:28. 

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
church, and gave Himself for it." — Eph. 5:25. 

He "gave Himself for us." Could He have 

paid a greater price than this ? 

"Love divine ! of such great loving, 
Only mothers know the cost; 
Cost of love, that, all love passing, 
Gave itself to save the lost." 
"As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: 
and I lay down my life for th<* sheep." — John 10:15. 

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time 
Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous 
man will one die : yet peradventure for a good man some 
would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love to- 
ward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for 
us." — Bom. 5:6-8. 

But just here we must avoid the mistake of 

thinking that redemption was a price paid to God, 

as to an angry creditor. It was a price paid for 



228 BIBLE READINGS. 

sin, the price that love always must pay for the 

sin of those whom it loves. "We are "bought 

with a price," and, because of this, we belong 

body, soul, and spirit to the One who has bought 

us. 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid 
in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and 
for. joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, andhuyeth 
that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a 
merchantman, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had 
found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had 
and bought it."— Matt. 13;M-46. 

Christ sold "all that He had" to purchase the 
"field," which is the world, for the sake of the 
"treasure" that is hidden there, which is hu- 
manity. (This is not the usual interpretation of 
the passage, but by comparing Christ's own 
words, "the field is the world," in Matt. 13:38, I 
think we will find it admissible.) 

And again, the "pearl of great price" may also 
be considered to be the human race whom Christ 
purchased with His own blood, "all that He had." 

Surely, after all this, we can not question the 
fact of His ownership! 

Since, then, it is a settled fact that we are not 
our own, but that we belong to God, let us con- 
sider what follows from this. 

I. His ownership of us lays upon Him the 
responsibility of caring for us. 

II. It lays upon us the responsibility of sur- 
render, and trust, and obedience to Him. 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 229 

I. We will consider first the responsibilities of 

ownership. 

" But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those 
of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than 
an infidel."— 1 Tim. 5: 8. 

The whole world acknowledges the justice of 
this. To own anything, means that the owner is 
bound to care for and protect and bless, to the 
limit of ability, that which is owned. We are all 
accustomed to looking so exclusively on the hu- 
man side of the question of our salvation, on our 
duties and our responsibilities, that we lose sight 
almost altogether of God's side, and thus miss of 
that, which after all, is the vital point of the whole 
matter. The responsibilities of an owner, and 
much more of a Creator, are greater than can be 
expressed. Parents feel this, and by a universal in- 
stinct, which is inalienable in our natures, all par- 
ents are held responsible to their own consciences 
and to their fellow-men for the welfare of their 
children. In the same way, owners of animals, or 
owners of property, or owners of anything what- 
ever, are considered to be bound to care for that 
which they own, and are held responsible for its 
welfare. Even children feel this responsibility, and 
will fulfil the duties of ownership, no matter how 
irksome, feeding the bird or the rabbit without 
complaint, because it is their own. 

In a wonderful little book called "Franken- 
stein" we have an allegory that vividly illustrates 



230 BIBLE READINGS. 

this truth. The writer imagines a student who 
has penetrated into the secrets of life, and who 
proposes to make a man. He spends some two 
years in framing a huge being, creating bones 
and muscle and tendons and nerves, and arrang- 
ing them in their relative order. At the proper 
moment he communicates the vital spark, and the 
creature opens its eyes, stares around it, and 
begins to move. The workman is suddenly 
awakened to a sense of the awful responsibility 
he has incurred in the act of creation, and flies 
in terror from the work of his hands. But he 
can not escape his responsibilities. The creature 
wanders over the earth, making misery for itself 
and others wherever it goes, and its creator is 
forced to follow it in order to atone for its mis- 
takes and its sins, and to free it from its continually 
recurring difficulties. At last they have an inter- 
view, and the creature reproaches the man for 
having made it, and tells him that he is responsi- 
ble for all that it has done and suffered. 

Our Lord Himself asserts this truth when He 
compares Himself and His own faithful care of 
His sheep, to the neglect and unfaithfulness of a 
hireling "whose own the sheep are not." 

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his 
life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling, and not the 
shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf com- 
ing, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth 
them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because 
he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 231 



shepherd, and know my sheep and am known of mine." — 
John 10: 11-14. 

In Ezekiel we have a vivid description of the 

stern disapproval with which the Lord regards 

those shepherds who care for themselves rather 

than for the flocks under their control. 

" And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of 
man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and 
say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; 
Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! 
should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, 
and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: 
but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strength- 
ened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither 
have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye 
brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye 
sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty 
have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there 
is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the 
field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through 
all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock 
was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did 
search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear 
the word of the Lord; As I live, saith the Lord God, surely 
because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat 
to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, 
neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shep- 
herds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; therefore, O ye 
shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; thus saith the Lord 
God; Behold, I am against the'shepherds; and I will require 
my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding 
the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any 
more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they 
may not be meat for them." — Ezek. 34: 1-10. 

"Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the 
sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith 
the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my peo- 
ple; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and 
nave not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil 
of your doings, saith the Lord." — Jer. 23: 1, 2. 

<# Woe to the idle shepherd that leaveth the flock! the 
sword shall be upon his arm, and. upon his right eye: his 
arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly 
darkened."— Zech. 11: 17. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



From these condemnations of the idle shep- 
herds "whose own the sheep were not," we may- 
learn what the duties of the owner of the 
sheep must be. These foolish shepherds fed them- 
selves but not the flock ; the owner wOuld feed the 
flock, even though he must go without himself. 
These false shepherds neglected the diseased, 
and failed to strengthen the weak, they did not 
seek for those who were lost, and they ruled the 
flock with "force and with cruelty;" the owner 
heals the sick, and strengthens the weak, and 
seeks the lost, and rules the flock with gentleness 
and love. 

" For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both 
search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh 
out his hock in the day that he is among his sheep that are 
scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them 
out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy 
and dark day. * * * * I will feed my flock, and I will 
cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that 
which was lost and bring again that which was driven away, 
and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen 
that which was sick."— Ezek. 34: 11, 12, 15, 16. 

And such is Christ, the "good Shepherd," to 

whom the sheep belong. 

" And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought 
up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on 
the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was 
delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And 
when He had opened the book, He found the place where it 
was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He 
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath 
sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to 
the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at 
liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of 
the Lord. And He closed the book, and He gave it again to 
and sat down. And the eyes of all them that 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 233 

were in the synagogue were fastened, on Him. And He be- 
gan to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in 
your ears." — Luke 4: 16-21. 

In all ages of the church this responsibility of 

ownership has been recognized. Moses referred to 

it as being a burden greater than he could bear, 

and reminded the Lord that because the Israelites 

were His people, therefore the care of them must 

rest upon His shoulders and not upon Moses' own 

shoulders. Had they belonged to Moses, it would 

have been his duty to care for them ; but since they 

belonged to God it was plainly God's duty. 

"And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou 
afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour 
in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people 
upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten 
them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them ia thy 
bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto 
the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence 
should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they 
weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am 
not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy 
for me."— Num. 11:11-14. 

" I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, 
destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou 
hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast 
brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember 
thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the 
stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to 
their sin: lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, 
Because the Lord was not able to bring them unto the land 
which He promised them, and because He hated them, He 
hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. Yet 
they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou 
broughtest out by thv mighty power and by thy stretched 
out arm."— Deut. 9:27-29. 

"And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, 
and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed 
against thee, and give them compassion before them who 
carried them captive, that they may have compassion on 
them: for they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which 



234 BIBLE READINGS. 

thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the 
furnace of iron." — 1 Kings 8:50. 

"For they be thy people;" this was a plea that 

admitted of no denial. Nehemiah and Isaiah 

realized this, and made similar pleas. 

" Now these are thy servants and thy people, "whom thou 
hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 
O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the 
prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and 
prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him 
mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cup- 
bearer."— Neh. 1: 10, 11. 

"But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, 
and thou our Potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 
Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity 
for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people." 
— Isa. 64:8, 9. 

"Behold, we are all thy people!" Where could 
we find a stronger plea ? 

A lady whom I met when traveling through the 
South, told me a story of the slave times there, 
which seems to me to illustrate in a wonderful 
manner this subject of God's ownership. She 
said she had occasion at one time to give one of her 
slaves a piece of work to do, which required him 
to stand outside the window on a plank, that was 
held steady by some one inside sitting upon the 
other end. The man was a little afraid, but said, 
"Well, missus, I'll go, if you'll sit right dar all 
the time, you' own self." The man's wife was 
present, and the mistress said, "Won't it do if 
Mandy sits there ? She won't let you fall." "No, 
missus," he replied, "I doan't trust Mandy; she's 
only my wife, and she'll just done forgit, and git 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 235 

up. But you' S3 my missus and I 'longs to you, and 
in course you'se gwine to keep me safe." 

The responsibility of ownership is therefore an 
inexorable divine law, which is only another name 
for the eternal nature of things. And if we can 
realize this, it will make the fact of our being 
owned by God one of the most comforting and 
peace-giving facts in existence. 

" But now thus saith the Lord, that created thee, O Jacob, 
and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have re- 
deemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with tnee; 
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when 
thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; 
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord 
thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt 
for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou 
wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and 
I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and 
people for thy life. Fear not; for I am with thee: I will 
bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west: 
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not 
back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from 
the ends of the earth; even every one that is called by 
my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have 
formed him; yea, I have made him." — Isa. 43: 1-7. 

All this therefore, and infinitely more, will the 

Lord do for us because He has made us and we 

belong to Him. Can we feel aught but joy then 

to know that we are His ? I remember when first 

the bliss of this divine ownership dawned upon 

my soul. I was in the woods away from man's 

world, almost alone in God's world of nature. I 

was reading the verse, "Ye are not your own, you 

are bought with a price," when suddenly the 

veil parted and I saw what it meant. No words 



236 BIBLE READINGS. 

could tell what that sight was ! But I had to hold 
my Bible open and keep my finger on the printed 
verse to make myself sure that such bliss as had 
dawned upon me could really be true. And from 
that moment, to belong to God has seemed to me 
the blessing of all blessings in my life ! 

To the soul that has had a revelation such as 
this, it can never be anything but joy to sing the 
good old hymn: 

" Lord, I am thine, entirely thine, 
Purchased and saved by love divine; 
With full consent thine will I be, 
And own thy sovereign right in me." 

Sometimes the fact of God's "sovereign right" 
in us is looked upon as a hard thing, and the 
soul shrinks and hesitates from consenting to 
it. But that can only be because such a one does 
not know what it means. 

Let us consider more fully what it is that He 
does for His own. 

I. He loves His own. 

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew 
that His hour was come that He should depart out of this 
world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in 
the world, He loved them unto the end." — John 13:1- 

II. He lays down His life for His own. 

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his 
life for the sheep." — John 10:11. 

_ "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath 
given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a 
sweet smelling savour."— Eph. 5:2. 

III. He seeks His own when they are lost. 
"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 237 



How think ye? if a man have a hundred sheep, and one of 
them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, 
and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone 
astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, 
he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine 
which went not astray." — Matt. 18:11-13. 

IV. He heals His own when they are sick. 

"When the even was come, they brought unto Him many 
that were possessed with devils : and He cast out the spirits 
with His word, and healed all that were sick: that it might 
be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 
Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."— Matt. 
8:16, 17. 

Y. He strengthens His own when they are 

weak. 

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee : for 
my streiigth is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly 
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power 
of Christ may rest upon me." — 2 Cor. 12:9. 

VI. He delivers His own from their enemies. 

"For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor 
also, and him that hath no helper." — Ps. 72:12. 

VII. He keeps His own from danger. 

"I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest 
any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." — Isa. 27:3. 

VIII. He leads and teaches His own. 

"Thus saith the Lord, thy Eedeemer, the Holy One of 
Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, 
which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." — 
Isa 48:17. 

IX. He supplies all their needs. 

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his 
riches in glory by Christ Jesus." — Phil. 4:19. 

X. He carries all their cares. 

"Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." 
—1 Pet. 5:7. 

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: 
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." — Ps. 55:22. 



238 BIBLE READINGS. 

XL He purifies His own. 

"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from 
all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zeal- 
ous of good works." — Titus 2:14. 

XII. He gives His own all things. 

"Therefore let no man glory in men: for all things are 
yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or 
life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are 
yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." 

XIII. He makes His own one with Himself, 

and gives them a share in His glory. 

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which 
shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be 
one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also 
may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast 
sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given 
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, 
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and 
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast 
loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they 
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that 
they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for 
thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." — John 
17:20-24. 

In the face of such revelations as these, who 
would not be eager to surrender themselves to 
such a blessed ownership and control ? The con- 
trol of love is always lovely, even when that love 
is earthly; because in the very nature of things 
love can choose only the best it knows for its be- 
loved ones, and must pour itself out to the last 
drop to help and to bless them. How much more 
then must be the blessedness of the control of 
God, who is love ; who is not merely loving, but is 
Love itself, and in whose ownership there must 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 239 

be and can be nothing but infinite and fathom- 
less bliss! 

Our views are so limited and our thoughts are 
so bounded by self, that we are apt to think far 
more of the fact that the Lord belongs to us, than 
that we belong to Him. But when we come to 
consider it, we can see in a moment how much 
more vital and full of blessing is God's ownership 
of us, than ever ours of Him could by any possi- 
bility be. If we own Him, then the responsibility 
of keeping Him is upon our shoulders. While if 
He owns us, this responsibility is on His shoulders. 
Moreover our keeping is such a poor thing, that 
if it depended on us we should be sure to lose 
Him, while we can never have any fear of His 
losing us. 

The soul does not always find this out at once. 
It is a knowledge that comes with spiritual growth. 
In Canticles there are three passages that develop 
this growing knowledge. 

1. The soul thinks first of its own ownership of 

its Beloved, and ranks His ownership of herself 

in the second place. 

"My beloved is mine, and I am His; He feedeth among the 
lilies."— Cant. 2:16. 

2. The soul learns next that the Lord's owner- 
ship is the most important, and must take the first 
place. 

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; He feedeth 
among the lilies." — Cant. 6:3. 



240 BIBLE READINGS. 



3. The soul learns at last that the only im- 
portant thing is His ownership, and forgets to 
mention her own at all. 

"I am my beloved's, and His desire is toward me." — Cant. 
7:10. 

The question next arises as to what are the 
responsibilities that rest upon us in view of the 
fact of God's ownership. They are very simple. 
We are only responsible to do three things, i. e., to 
yield, to trust, to obey. We are the Lord's; now 
we must recognize this, and must acknowledge 
Him as our Owner and Master, and must abandon 
ourselves to His care and control. 

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept- 
able unto God, which is your reasonable service." — Bom. 
12:1. 

It is indeed only a "reasonable service," for 

those who are in the Lord's blessed ownership, to 

consent to it, and consciously and intelligently 

give themselves up to His control. A man's 

"own possessions" are either a praise to him or a 

disgrace; and we cannot be a praise to our Lord 

and Master unless we submit ourselves to Him, 

and let Him have His own way with us. 

"This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew 
forth my praise." — Isa. 43:21. 

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in 
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." — 1 Cor. 6:20. 

"That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first 
trusted in Christ."— Eph. 1:12. 

"For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I 
caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 241 

whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be 
unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and 
for a glory; but they would not hear." — Jer. 13:11. 

May it never be said of any of us that we "would 

not hear!" 

"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine 
heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thy- 
self against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the 
vessels of His house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy 
wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and 
thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, 
wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the 
God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, 
hast thou not glorified." — Dan. 5:22, 23. 

Since we are not our own, we must not " live to 
ourselves," and we can therefore have no liberty to 
use ourselves for our own purposes. 

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the 
flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he 
that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he 
no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the 
lusts of men, but to the will of God."— 1 Pet. 4:1, 2. 

'"And that He died for all, that they which live should not 
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died 
for them, and rose again." — 2 Gor. t :15. 

Further, since we belong to the Lord, we must 
let the world see how well He cares for us, by 
receiving in childlike faith all the good things 
He would bestow upon us. 

"Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure 
them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and 
truth. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the cap- 
tivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. 
And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby 
they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their 
iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have 
transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of 
joy, a nraise and an honor, before all the nations of the earth, 



242 BIBLE READINGS. 

which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they 
shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the 
prosperity that I procure unto it." — Jer. 33:6-9. 

Contrast with this the dishonor that Moses felt 

would come upon the Lord, should the Israelites 

fail in receiving the promised deliverance. 

"And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall 
hear it (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from 
among them;) and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this 
land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this 
people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy 
cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, 
by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by 
night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, 
then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will 
speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this 
people into the land which He sware unto them, therefore 
He hath slain them in the wilderness." — Num. 14:13-16. 

Let us then show, by the thoroughness of our 
trust in Him, the utter trustworthiness of the Lord 
"whose we are and whom we serve ;" and let us 
allow Him to save us to the very uttermost, lest 
the world should say, as alas! they already do, 
that it is "because the Lord is not able." 

What is needed therefore is that we should 
first come into a clear knowledge of God's owner- 
ship, and then that we should " live up" to this 
knowledge. There are certain definite exercises 
of soul that will help the heart into this knowl- 
edge. These are set forth in type in Deut. xxvi. 

"And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those 
days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy 
God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware 
unto our fathers for to give us. * * * * And He hath 
brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, 
even a land that floweth with milk and honey. * * * * 
L'hou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and 



GOD'S OWNERSHIP. 243 

to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His com- 
mandments, and His judgments, and to hearken unto His 
voice: and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be His 
peculiar people, as He hath promised thee, and that thou 
shouldest keep all His commandments; and to make thee 
high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and 
in name, and in honour; and that thou may est be a holy 
people unto the Lord thy God, as He hath spoken." — Deut. 
26:3, 9, 17, 18, 19 

First, we must confess the fact of His owner- 
ship. "I profess this day unto the Lord thy God 
that I am come unto the country" (verse 3), and, 
"He hath brought us into this place, and hath 
given us this land" (verse 9). Then we must 
"avouch the Lord" to be our God, and must sur- 
render ourselves to His control (verse 17). And 
then finally we shall know the Lord to "avouch" 
us to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised 
us (verse 18). And the question of our founda- 
tion text, "What! know ye not that ye are not your 
own?" will be answered with a glad and hearty 
"Yes I do know it! I am not my own, but God's. 
I belong to Him alone, and He is my sole and 
sovereign Owner." 

Since I belong to thee, my Savior, God, 
All must be well, however rough my road; 
However dark my way or prospects be, 
All, all is right, since overruled by thee. 

Feeblest of all thy flock, thou knowest me, Lord; 
Helpless and weak, I stay upon thy word; 
In all my weakness, this is still my plea, 
That thou art mine, and I belong to thee. 

Then come whatever may, I am secure, 
Thy love unchanged shall to the end endure; 
Frail though I am, thine everlasting arm 
Shall shield thy child from every breath of harm. 



BIBLE READINGS. 



XVI. 



SUBJECT— THE RESURRECTION LIFE OF 
THE BELIEVER. 

Foundation Text. — " Therefore we are buried with Him 
by baptism into death: that like as Christ was 
raised up from the dead by the glory of the 
Father, even so tee also should walk in newness 
of life: 9 — Horn. 6: 4. 

Notice the "like as" and the "even so" of this 
passage. They surely teach that the life we are 
called to live now and here, is something of the 
same nature as the life Christ was to live when 
He was raised from the dead. It is a life belong- 
ing to the same order of things, an interior res- 
urrection life, to be lived here in these earthly 
bodies. 

" Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord 
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in 
our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death 
for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made 
manifest in our mortal flesh." — 2 Cor. 4: 10, 11. 

" Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen 
with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who 
hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your 
sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened 
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses."— 
Col. 2:12, 13. 

It is just as though one had died and been 
buried, and had risen again, and thenceforth 
(245) 



2ttG BIBLE READINGS. 

walked in a new and risen life. Such a one 

would look at things from an altogether different 

standpoint, and measure them by other measures. 

Try to put yourself in the place of Lazarus after 

he had been raised from the dead, and imagine, 

if you can, with what eyes he would behold the 

world and the things of it; and you will perhaps 

get a glimpse of the meaning of this resurrection 

life. Things once all-impoitant to him, must have 

lost their value, and things once insignificant, must 

have become of mighty import. 

" But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love where- 
with He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath 
quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved; ; 
and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
heavenly places in Christ Jesus." — Eph. 2:4-6. 

The place from which we look, makes all the 
difference in the aspect of things. The resur- 
rection life seats us in "heavenly places," and we 
look from these down upon earthly things, and 
not up from earthly places upon heavenly things. 
We are to walk through this world as those whose 
"heart and brain move there," while our feet per- 
force stay here. 

Our "views" are simply what we see, and not 

necessarily what really is. A man at the foot of 

the mountain, and a man on the summit, may both 

look in the same direction, but their "views" 

would be widely different. 

" I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated 
them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 247 

the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of 
the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." — 
John 17: 14-16. 

Notice the "even as" in this passage, and con- 
nect it with the "like as" and "even so" of our 
foundation text. We are "not of the world" in 
the sense that we belong to a spiritual race whose 
home is in a higher sphere, and who go through 
this world only as pilgrims and strangers. We 
belong to the heavenly order, not the earthly ; and 
our sphere of true living is not on the material 
plane, but on the spiritual. As some one has said, 
"We are encamped in nature, but not domesti- 
cated." 

" If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which 
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set 
your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. 
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." — 
Col. 3: 1-3. 

" For here have we no continuing city, but we seek on© to 
come."— Heb.l3:14. 

We say of some men that they "grovel," and 

we mean that their souls dwell on earthly levels, 

and are interested only in earthly things. Of 

others we say that they "soar" far above their 

fellows, and we mean that their souls dwell in 

upper regions, and their affections are set on 

heavenly things. The resurrection life soars. 

It mounts on eagle's wings into the divine region 

of "the life hid with Christ in God " 

" For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we 
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."— Phil 3: 20. 



248 BIBLE READINGS. 

Our "conversation," or, as some translate it, 
* 'citizenship," is net here but in heaven. Heaven 
means simply the spiritual sphere of things; and 
to have our citizenship there means, that our real 
home and our real interests, and possessions, and 
rights are all in this sphere. 

" And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together 
in heavenly places ia Christ Jesus." — Eph. 2:6. 

" Now therefore ye also are no more strangers, and foreign- 
ers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household 
of God."— Eph. 2:19. 

To be "fellow citizens with the saints," and 
members of the "household of God," means to live 
in the resurrection life. 

" These all died in faith, not having received the promises, 
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, 
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers 
and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things 
declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they 
had been mindful of that country from whence they came 
out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But 
now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: where- 
fore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath 
prepared for them a city. ' — Heb. 11: 13-16. 

We "seek a country." Or in other words we 
are a developing race. It is not a place we are 
seeking, but a condition ; that is, a new nature and 
a new sphere of life. As has been well said, "God 
is gradually developing higher forms of life out of 
lower ; the intellectual and the spiritual out of the 
animal and the sensuous. There are two men in 
the Bible, the flesh man and the spirit man, the man 
of the without and the man of the within: man as 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 249 

an animal, and man as a spiritual being, and the 
last is being evolved out of the first. " 

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward 
man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." — 
2 Cor. 4: 16. 

" That He would grant you, according to the riches of His 
glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the 
inner man."— Eph. 3: 16. 

The resurrection life of which we are speaking, 
is the life of this "inner man." It is a life begot- 
ten of God, and therefore partaking of the very 
nature of God. 

" Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious 
promises: that by these yo might be partakers of the divine 
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world 
through lust."— 2 Peter 1: 4 

We, who believe the promises, are "partakers 
of the divine nature;" but we are partakers of 
the lower nature as well. And it is the struggle 
between these two natures that causes our con- 
flicts. It is in the process of development which 
is going on within us, that all our sin and suffer- 
ing are evolved. Whenever the lower nature in us 
gains the supremacy, we sin, and consequently 
suffer. 

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not 
fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the 
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are con- 
trary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things 
that ye would."— Gal. 5: 16, 17. 

"For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that 
do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which 
I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now 
then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 
For I know that in me (that is ; in my flesh,) dwelleth no 
good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to per- 
form that which is good I find not. For the good that I 



250 BIBLE READINGS. 

would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but 
Bin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I 
would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the 
law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in 
my members, warring against the law of my mind, and 
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my 
members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me 
from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the 
law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."— Eom. 7:15-25. 

Our natural man, the flesh man, or as the Bible 
calls it, the "old man," can never fulfill the right- 
eousness of God, for it is of the earth, earthy. 
With "the flesh" we must necessarily always serve 
the "law of sin." 

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of 
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the 
Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spirit- 
ually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is 
enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh 
cannot please God." — Rom. 8:5-8. 

It is only the spiritual man, the man born of 

God, the resurrection man, who can "mind the 

things of the Spirit;" and in fact it is only such 

who can even understand God and His ways. 

"For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the 
spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God 
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have re- 
ceived, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of 
God; that we might know the things that are freely given to 
us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words 
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost 
teach eth ; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the 
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: 
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know 
them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is 
spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no 
man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that ho 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE 251 

may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." — 1 
Cor. 2:11-16. 

The one essential thing therefore for each one 
of us is to have this spiritual man, this resurrec- 
tion life, born in us. Nothing avails but this. 
The tiger cannot understand the "things of a man" 
because it has not the "spirit of man" within it; 
and likewise we cannot und3rstand the "things of 
God" unless we possess the spirit of God. 

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any- 
thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." — Gal. 6:15. 

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say 
unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the 
kingdom of God. Mcodemus saith unto him, How can a 
man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time 
into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, 
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is 
born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 
Ye must be born again." — John 3:3-7. 

The new birth is a necessity in the very nature 

of things, for in order to enter any plane of life 

we must be born into it. No amount of effort can 

turn a tiger into a man, and no amount of effort 

can turn the flesh man into the spirit man. 

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and always 

must be. 

"But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that 
the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not 
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." — Bom. 8:9. 

The salvation revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ, 
therefore, goes far deeper than the mere outward 
commands, "Thou shalt," and "Thou shalt not," 



252 BIBLE READINGS. 

which are all addressed only to that which is 
"born of the flesh," i. e., the natural or carnal man. 
The salvation of God gives man a new nature, 
one "born of the Spirit," that is so true and 
right in its very issues, as to live right outwardly 
without any law, from its own essential nature. 
The resurrection life works, not "after the law of 
a carnal commandment, but after the power of an 
endless life." 

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 
made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the 
law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God 
sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for 
sin, condemned siD in the flesh: that the righteousness of the 
law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but 
after the Spirit."— Eom. 8:2-4. 

It is the inward "law of the spirit of life in 

Christ Jesus" that sets us free from sin; and not 

the outward law of ordinances. Commandments 

are not needed when the inward life is right. 

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." 
—Gal. 5:18. 

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that 
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are 
dead to sin, live any longer therein? * * * * For sin 
shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the 
law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we 
are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." — 
Rom. 6:1, 2, 14, 15. 

If a man is a thief at heart, no laws or penal- 
ties can keep him from stealing ; but if a man is 
honest at heart, not even laws and penalties could 
make him steal. And this is the secret of the 
resurrection life. It cannot sin, because it is born 
of God. 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 253 

"Whosoever abideth. in Him sinneth not: whosoever sin- 
neth hath, not seen Him, neither known Him. Little chil- 
dren, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is 
righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin 
is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. 
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He 
might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of 
God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him; 
and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the 
children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: 
whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he 
that loveth not his brother." — 1 John 3:6-10. 

"If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one 
that doeth righteousness is born of Him." — 1 John 2:29. 

This does not mean that it is impossible for a 

child of God to sin, but only that it is impossible 

for that nature in him which is born of God, to 

sin. Many Christians are yet to a great degree 

"carnal and walk as men." 

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spirit- 
ual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have 
fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were 
not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are 
yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and 
strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men ? 
For while one saith, I am of Paul ; and another, I am of 
Apollos; are ye not carnal?" — 1 Gor. 3:1-4. 

"Babes in Christ" have the spiritual life begot- 
ten in them, but it is not yet dominant, and they 
are still more or less under the control of the 
carnal mind. Judged by the marks Paul gives 
in this passage of what the carnal mind consists 
in, it would seem as though not many Christians 
had developed out of this stage as yet! 

But we may develop, we are meant to develop ; 
only we do not always understand the way. We 
think to do it by a greater stringency of legal 



254 BIBLE READINGS. 

efforts, by stricter rules and more searching com- 
mandments. But God's way is by faith. 

"But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut 
up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto 
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that 
faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." — Gal. 
3:23-25. 

The law acts as a schoolmaster to bring us 
to Christ, but it is powerless to carry us any fur- 
ther, and it is only by faith that we can enter into 
or live the resurrection life. 

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye 
should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ 
hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This 
only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the 
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so fool- 
ish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by 
the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be 
yet in vain?"— Gal. 3:1-4. 

The resurrection life is a matter of faith and 
development. We trust God for it, and He de- 
velops it in us. 

How do people get delivered from the foolish- 
ness of childhood ? Not by being commanded to 
give it up, but by growing out of it. When I 
was a child, I used to think that grown-up people 
wanted to play as much as I did, only there was a 
law against it. I thought this law came into 
effect at a certain age, and I pitied all the peo- 
ple who had reached this age, and dreaded grow- 
ing old myself, because the sad time was drawing 
nearer for me. But when I had reached maturity, 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 255 

I found there was no law needed, for the desire to 

play was gone ; I had outgrown childish things. 

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a 
child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put 
away childish things." — 1 Cor. 13:11. 

And just so it is in this resurrection life. Our 
souls at first dread to enter upon it, because we are 
afraid of its demands. We want to keep our play- 
things, and our childish amusements. But as the 
divine life is developed, and the soul becomes 
more and more mature, it finds that the "childish 
things" drop off of themselves. The resurrection 
life "puts them away," not because it must, but 
because it wants to, because it has outgrown them. 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: 
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become 
new."— 2 Cor. 5:17. 

This is all true to faith. But we must make it 
true in experience also ; and here comes the strug- 
gle. 

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, 
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we 
should not serve sin. * * * * Likewise reckon ye also 
yourselves to be dead in deed unto sin, but alive unto God 
through Jesus Christ our Lord." — Rom. 6:6, 11. 

"But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have 
heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in 
Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation 
the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful 
lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye 
put on the new man, which after God is created in righteous- 
ness and true holiness." — Eph. 4:20-24. 

We must "reckon" ourselves to be dead and 

alive again, by faith, on the authority of God's 

word, which declares that we are. We must "put 



256 BIBLE READINGS. 

off" the old man by faith, and "put on" the new 
man by faith also. And then we are to make this 
practical, by dying continually to the self -life, and 
by living only and always in the resurrection life. 
We must say with Paul, "I am crucified with Christ; 
nevertheless I live ; and yet not I, but Christ liveth 
in me;" and we must then act this out practically 
whenever the occasion arises. Our faith "reck- 
ons" it, and the Lord enables us to make it real. 

The faith that you can sail to England in ten 
days, and that if you only buy your ticket, all else 
is arranged for you, is a very different thing 
from the actual experience of the voyage itself. 
And in like manner, the faith, that in Christ you 
are already dead and risen, is a very different 
thing from the daily experience of "bearing about 
in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the 
life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our 
mortal flesh." The one is a step of faith, the 
other is a life of faith. The one may be momen- 
tary, the other must be life-long. 

"Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a corn of wheat 
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it 
bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose 
it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto 
life eternal."— John 12:24, 25. 

There is no other way. The corn of wheat 

must abide forever alone in itself, unless it die ; 

and the soul must also. To "abide alone" in this 

sense means the awful solitude of the self-life, 

shut up to self, bounded and limited by self. 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 257 



What solitude could be more awful! But "if it 
die it bringeth forth much fruit." The resurrec- 
tion life is abundant in fruit. 

Joseph is a wonderful type of this resurrection 
life. It is a life which, from the first, dreams of 
victory and dominion over the things of time and 
sense ; but which can only attain to this dominion 
through suffering. In a dream God revealed 
Joseph's future kingship to him. 

"And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: 
and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, 
Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed. For, 
behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my 
sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves 
stood round about, aad made obeisance to my sheaf. And 
his brethren said unto him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? 
or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they 
hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words." — 
Gen. 37:5-8. 

His brethren hated him and called him a "dream- 
er." And souls that have had a sight of this 
resurrection life, and venture to speak of it, will 
often be hated also aad called "mystics," and 
"dreamers;" and perhaps not even their breth- 
ren in the church will understand them. 

"And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer Com- 
eth."— Gen. 37:19. 

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it 
hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love 
his own ; but because ye are not of the world, but I have 
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not 
greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they 
will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they 
will keep yours also." — John 15:18-20. 

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated 

17 



258 BIBLE READINGS. 



them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of 
the world."— John 17:14. 

Joseph's exaltation and victory were sure to 

come, for God had declared it; but the road to 

them was by the way of trial, and suffering, and 

loss. It led through the pit, and through slavery, 

and through imprisonment in Egypt. 

"And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit 
was empty, there was no water in it." — Gen. 37:24. 

"Then there passed by Midiarjites, merchantmen; and they 
drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to 
the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought 
Joseph into Egypt." — Gen. 37:28. 

"And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the 
prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and 
he was there in the prison." — Gen. 39:20. 

Through emptying to fullness, through abase- 
ment to exaltation, is always the way in this resur- 
rection life. This is a necessity in the very nature 
of things. 

If the butterfly life is to be born, the caterpil- 
lar life must die. The flesh-man must be put to 
death, if the spirit-man is to live. This is the 
explanation of the trial and suffering and loss 
that come to us all, as we advance in the divine 
life. 

" He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth 
his life for my sake shall find it,"— Matt. 10: 39. 

" For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whoso- 
ever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." — 
Luke 9: 24. 

" And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with 
the affections and lusts." — Gal. 5: 24. 

Through all its trials, the resurrection life 

reigns triumphant. It conquers by yielding, and 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 259 

reigns by serving. Joseph was a king, even in 
slavery or in prison. 

" And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous 
man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 
And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that 
the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And 
Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he 
made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put 
into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he 
had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had 
that tha Lord blessed the Egyptian's house, for Joseph's 
sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had 
in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had 
in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught he had, save the, 
bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, 
and well favored." — Gen. 39:2-6. 

" But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy- 
and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison, 
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all. 
the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they 
did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prisou 
looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the 
Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it 
to prosper."— Gen. 39: 21-23. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven. * * * Blessed are the meek: for they shall 
inherit the earth. * * * Blessed are they which are per- 
secuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and per- 
secute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you 
falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for 
great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted thoy the 
prophets which were before you." — Matt. 5: 3, 5, 1 0, 11, 12. 

"But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye 
know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles 
exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise 
authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: 
but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your min- 
ister: and whosoever of you will be the chief est, shall be 
servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be 
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom 
for many."— Mark 10: 42-45. 

Joseph's exaltation came at last, and the only 
road which could have brought him there, was 



260 BIBLE READINGS. 

through the very trials that had seemed as if they 
must crush him. God was in them all, and made 
out of each a chariot to carry him onward. 

"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a 
one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And 
Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed 
thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 
thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word 
shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be 
greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I 
have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off 
his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and 
arrayed him in ves'-ures of fine linen, and put a gold chain 
about his neck; and he made him to ride in the second 
chariot which he had ; and they cried before him, Bow the 
knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. 
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without 
thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of 
Egypt."— Gen. 41: 38-44. 

"And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I 
pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph 
your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be 
not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me 
hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For 
these two years hath the famine been in the land : and yet 
there are five years, in the which there shall neither be ear- 
ing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve 
you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great 
deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but 
God: and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord 
of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of 
Egypt."— Gen. 45:^8. 

" God sent me." Yes. through these very 

trials and apparent losses, God was leading His 

child onward to the fulfillment of His early 

dreams. And the soul now, that bows itself 

meekly to the yoke of trial and misunderstanding, 

and holds a steadfast faith through all, will find 

at last, as Joseph did, that these very trials have 

been God's chariots which have borne it in triumph 



THE RESURRECTION LIFE. 261 

to its longed-for exaltations. "If we suffer with 
Christ we shall also reign with Him." 

"But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suf- 
ferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the 
name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of 
God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, 
but on your part He is glorified." — 1 Pet. 4: 13, 14. 

"For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our con- 
solation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be 
afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is 
effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we 
also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your con- 
solation and salvation. And our hope of -you is steadfast, 
knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall 
ye be also of the consolation." — 2 Cor. 1:5-7. 

The soul that suffers shall also reign. The 
things of time and sense shall be put under our 
feet, and we shall walk in the power of the resur- 
rection life, as conquerors, through the very places 
where before we have been slaves and prisoners. 

"And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manas seh: 
For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my 
father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim : 
For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my 
affliction."— Gen. 41: 51, 52. 

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall 
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or naked- 
ness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are 
killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the 
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than con- 
querors through Him that loved us." — Eom.8: 35-37. 

It is only the resurrection life that can be 
"more than conqueror" in a world like this. And 
who would not willingly and gladly lose his own 
self -life in order to find such an all conquering life 
as this. 



262 BIBLE READINGS. 

Consent then to die. Do not seek to improve or 
make more beautiful the caterpillar life, for no 
amount of beauty or improvement can turn the 
caterpillar into the butterfly. The transition can 
only come through death. Let the old self- life die 
then, that the new and risen life, that life which 
is hid with Christ in God, may have free scope 
to grow and develop. For thus and thus only 
shall you be able practically and triumphantly to 
walk as Christ walked, in "newness of life." 



BIBLE READING. 



XVII. 

SUBJECT— GOD'S WOBKMANSHIP. 

Foundation Text. — "For we are His workmanship, cre- 
ated in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God 
hath before ordained that we should walk in 
them."—Eph.2:lQ. 

To be "God's workmanship" means that God is 
our Maker, and that He will make us into the 
thing that will please Him, if we do not take our- 
selves out His forming hands. 

"Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath 
made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the 
sheep of His pasture."— Ps. 100: 3. 

"Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me un- 
derstanding, that I may learn thy commandments." — Ps. 
119: 73. 

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonder- 
fully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my 
soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from 
thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in 
the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my sub- 
stance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my mem- 
bers were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when 
as yet there was none of them." — Ps. 139: 14-16. 

It takes us a great while to learn that God is 
really our Maker, and not we ourselves; and a 
large part of the perplexities of our spiritual, expe- 
rience arise from this ignorance. We are continu- 
ally taking ourselves out of the hands of our Divine 
(263) 



264 BIBLE READINGS. 

Maker by our efforts to make, or remake, or un- 
make ourselves. The Potter desires to fashion us 
into a beautiful vessel unto His honor, but we 
will not hold still and let Him work. We inter- 
fere with His processes, either by resisting Him, 
or by trying to help Him, and so the vessel is 
" marred in the hands of the Potter." 

" Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he 
wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made 
of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it 
again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make 
it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house 
of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the 
Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye 
in mine hand, O house of Israel." — Jer. 18: 3-6 

If we realize that we are God's workmanship 
and not our own, we will lie still in His hands, 
and will abandon ourselves to His working with- 
out a care. 

" But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, 
and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." — 
Isa. 64: 8. 

God's workmanship, where He has His own 
way unhindered, must be like Himself, perfect. 
And therefore He can command us in our weak- 
ness to be perfect because He is our Maker, and 
He knows that His purpose is to make us perfect. 
We are to be made into something that will be to 
His glory. 

"He is the Eock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are 
judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and 
rigbt is He."— Deut. 32: 4. 

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in 
heaven is perfect." — Matt. 5: 48. 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 265 



"This people have I formed for myself: they shall shew 
forth my praise." — Isa. 43: 21. 

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an 
holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the 
praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into 
His marvelous light:"— 1 Pet. 2: 9. 

The glory of a man is shown forth in his work, 

and the glory of God must shine forth in the 

"works of His hands." A good workman cannot 

produce poor workmanship. Therefore, if we 

will only abandon ourselves to God's w T orking, 

He will without fail ''create us unto good works." 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 
places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him 
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy 
and without blame before Him in love: having predestin- 
ated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to 
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the 
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us 
accepted in the beloved. * * * * That we should be 
to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ." — 
Eph. 1:3-6,12. 

This was His purpose in our creation at first, 

for we were to be made in His "own image." 

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our 
likeness :***** g q g & cre ated man in his own 
image, in the image of God created He him: male and fe- 
male created He them."— Gen. 1: 26, 27. 

Of course this did not mean a likeness, of per- 
son or body, but a likeness of character and nature ; 
that is, we are "to be perfect as He is perfect," 
i. e. in the same sort of perfection, not as to de- 
gree of course, but as to quality. We cannot see 
God to know what we are to be like; but we see 
Him incarnated in Christ, who is declared to be 



266 BIBLE READINGS. 

the "express image" of God; and thus we can look 

upon and consider the image to which we are to 

be conformed. 

" For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to 
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the 
first-born among many brethren." — Rom. 8: 29. 

Since Christ was the "express image" of God, 

and we are to be conformed to the "image of 

Christ," we can see how the Divine purpose in our 

creation is to be brought about. 

" Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the 
old man with his deeds: and have put on the new man, 
which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that 
created him:"— Col. 3: 9, 10. 

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and that ye 
put on the new man, which after God is created in right- 
eousness and true holiness." — Eph. 4: 23, 24 

To make us then in His "own image," is there- 
fore the object of God's workmanship, and nothing 
short of this will accomplish His divine purpose 
in our creation. 

"We can never understand a complicated machine 
until we know what was the purpose of the maker 
in regard to it. How did he mean it to work; 
what was it intended to accomplish; how has he 
arranged for it to run ? "When we walk through 
an exhibition of machinery we ask continually, as 
we stop to look at one machine after another, 
What is this for? and, What is that for? We 
are sure, if we see a machine, that the maker in. 
tended it to accomplish some especial end; and 
we cannot imagine any man being so stupid as to 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 267 

make a machine that is not meant to accomplish 

anything. 

Our Divine Maker therefore has made us for 

something. And it is essential for us to find out 

what this is before we can expect to accomplish it. 

"What then are we made to be, and what are we to do ? 

"Even every one that is called by my name: for I have 
created him for my glory, I have formed him: yea, I have 
made him."— Isa. 43: 7. 

We are made then to bring glory to our Maker 
by perfectly fulfilling His purposes in our 
creation. 

A machine that fails to fulfill the purposes of 
its maker, does not bring honor, but dishonor, 
upon him. And we who fail in fulfilling the pur- 
poses of our Creator, are bringing dishonor upon 
Him. "What then is this purpose ? 

"For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels 
and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest 
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou 
hast pat all things under his feet:" — Ps. 8: 5, 6. 

He has made us to "have dominion." "We are 

to be "kings." "We are to sit on the throne with 

Christ, and reign with Him over the things of time 

and sense. "We are to conquer the world, instead 

of being conquered by it. "We are to know what 

it is to be made "always to triumph" through 

Christ. If we fail in this victory; if, instead of 

our having dominion over sin, sin has "dominion" 

over us, if the world and the things of it master us 

and bring us into bondage we are not fulfilling the 



268 BIBLE READINGS. 

purposes of our Creator, and are therefore bring- 
ing disgrace upon His name. 

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the 
mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been 
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the 
intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heav- 
enly places might be known by the church the manifold 
wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which 
He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:" — Eph. 3: 9, 11. 

If the "manifold wisdom of God" is to be 
shown forth in us and by us to the principalities 
and powers in heavenly places, we must try to dis- 
cover how it can be accomplished. We ask of a 
complicated machine, How does it go? And we 
mean, how do its different parts move in reference 
to one another, and what is the power that keeps 
them in motion. If a machine "goes" the way its 
maker meant it to go, it will move easily and 
without friction. And we can only have easy and 
frictionless lives, if our inward machinery moves 
according to the divine plan. My hand was made 
to shut inward on my palm, and it shuts that way 
easily and without friction. But if I try to shut it 
outward over on its back, I cannot do it without 
breaking something. My heart was made to love 
and serve its Creator, and when I do this, all my 
inward machinery moves without friction or jar. 
But if I love and serve the creature more than the 
Creator, all goes wrong, and something is sure to 
break. 

A great deal of the friction and failure in our 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 



spiritual lives arise from this fact, that we do 
not "go" as God meant nsto. 

" Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as 
in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, 
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for 
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of 
His good pleasure."— Phil. 2: 12, 13. 

This does not say work for your salvation, but 
work out the salvation which God is working in 
you. We try to work things according to our 
own wills, not according to His will, and the result 
is as if an ignorant man should undertake to work 
a complicated machine after his own notions, in- 
stead of following the directions of its maker. 

"Whereunto I also .labour, striving according to His work- 
ing, which worketh in me mightily." — Col. 1: 29. 

Our "striving 1 ' must be "according to His work- 
ing" or it will amount to nothing. 

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that 
ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what 
the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and 
what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us- ward 
who believe, according to the working of His mighty 
power."— Eph. 1: 18, 19. 

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleas- 
ing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the 
knowledge of God: strengthened with all might, according 
.to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering 
with joyfulness." — Col. 1:10. 11. 

Every machine of man's making is intended to 

"go" by some definite sort of power. Some are 

hand-power machines; some are horse-power; 

some are steam-power. In every case the machine 

is made for its own power, and will not "go" right 

for any other. 



270 BIBLE READINGS. 

We are made to go by Holy Ghost power, and 

we cannot go right without it. 

" But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is 
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in 
Jerusalem, and in all Judsea, and in Samaria, and unto the 
uttermost parts of the earth." — Acts 1 : 8. 

If we try to work ourselves by our own power 

we shall utterly fail, for we have no natural powers 

that can control spiritual forces. Only the 

powers that belong to the spiritual nature can 

have dominion over thesa 

" Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain 
that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 
waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early; to 
sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows : for so He giveth 
His beloved sleep."— Ps. 127: 2. 

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear 
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, 
except ye abide in me. I am the viDe, ye are the branches. 
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth 
much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man 
abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; 
and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they 
are burned." — John 15: 4-6. 

In order then to be what we were intended by 

our Maker to be, and to "go" as we were intended 

by Him to go, we must recognize the fact that we 

are His workmanship, and must abandon ourselves 

to His working. 

" God that made the world and all things therein, seeing 
that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples 
made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, 
as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, 
and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all 
nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and 
hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds 
of their habitation."— Acts 17: 24-26. 

" Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 271 

God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." 
—2 Cor. 5:5. 

"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul." 
—Acts 19: 11. 

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead 
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through 
the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in 
every good work to do His will, working in you that which 
is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom 
be glory for ever and ever. Amen." — Heb. 13: 20, 21. 

There is nothing more plainly told lis in the 
Bible than just this fact, that we are God's work- 
manship, and that whatever true or acceptable 
work we do must be by His "working in us that 
which is well pleasing in His sight." And yet 
plainly as this is taught, there is scarcely any- 
thing we practically believe less. 

We use the words, "The Lord my Maker," over 
and over, but they convey no clear idea to our 
minds; and we go on trying to make ourselves» 
workiag at our own interior life, and exhausting 
ourselves in efforts to transform our characters 
into a likeness to Christ. We try to "create" 
ourselves to good works, and are in despair at our 
continual failures. 

" For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 
but I see another law in my members, warring against the 
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law 
of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! 
who shall deliver me from the body oi this death?" — Rom. 
7: 22-24 

When however we recognize the fact that God 
is really our Maker, not only in the outward 
creation but in the inward as well ; and further 



272 BIBLE READINGS. 

when we see that He is also our re-Creator in re- 
demption, we shall be forced to realize that He is 
therefore the only one who can understand how to 
work us, and who can remake us when we mar 
His work. If our watches are out of order, we do 
not meddle with them ourselves, but we take them 
to a man who makes watches, and who therefore 
knows how to remake them. And similarly must 
we do in our own case. If we are out of order we 
must take ourselves to the One who made us, and 
leave ourselves in His hands to be remade accord- 
ing to His divine plan. 

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies 
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacri- 
fice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable 
service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye 
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may 
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of 
God."— Eom. 12: 1, 2. 

What we need is to be "transformed," and none 

but the Lord can do this. Our only hope therefore 

is in letting Him have His own way with us, by 

abandoning ourselves utterly to Him to be put in 

order, as a watch is abandoned to the watchmaker. 

We do not understand the watchmaker's processes 

with our watches, and it may well be that we shall 

not understand the Lord's processes with ourselves. 

"As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how 
the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; 
even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all." 
Eccl.ll: 5. 

" Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker ! Let the 
potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the 
clay say unto him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or 

I 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 273 

thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith 
unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What 
hast thou brought forth? Thus saith the Lord, the Holy 
One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come 
concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands 
command ye me. I have made the earth and created man 
upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, 
and all their host have I commanded." — Isa. 45: 9-12. 

" O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and 
knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are His judgments, 
and His ways past finding out ! For who hath known the 
mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? * * 
* * For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all 
things: to whom be glory forever. Amen." — Rom. 11:33, 
34, 36. 

Since we will all acknowledge that His ways 
are truly "past finding out," we must be content 
to leave the management of ourselves in His 
hands, and must believe that His "making pro- 
cesses" with us are the very best that could be, 
even though they may seem to us very mysterious 
or painful. 

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh 
unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the 
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of 
Him : for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourg- 
eth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, 
God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom 
the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastise- 
ment, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and 
not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh 
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we 
not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, 
and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after 
their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be 
partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the pres- 
ent seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, after- 
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto 
them which are exercised thereby." — Heb. 12 : 5-11. 

The trial which is so hard to bear is one of 
18 



274 BIBLE READINGS. 

God's blessed making processes, without which 

thy soul would never have known its fullest glory. 

" But thou art making me; I thank thee, Sire. 
What thou hast done and doest, thou knowest well; 
And I will help thee: gently in thy fire 
I will lie burning; on thy potter's wheel 
I will whirl patient, though my brain should reel; 
Thy grace shall be enough my grief to quell, 
And growing beauty shine through suffering dire. 
Too eager I must not be to understand. 
How should the work the Master goes about 
Fit the vague sketch my compasses have planned? 
I am His house, for Him to go in and out; 
He builds me now, and if I cannot see 
At any time what He is doing with me 
'Tis that He makes the house for me too grand." 

The wondrous end of God's making is, that we 

are to bear His own image, and who can marvel 

if the process by which this is to be accomplished 

may be sometimes hard and painful. 

" For which cause we faint not; but though our outward 
man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For 
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for 
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." — 2 Cor. 
4: 16, 17. 

" But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the 
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from 
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." — 2 Cor. 
3:18. 

We have only to watch the making processes 
which all beautiful works of art require to bring 
them to perfection, in order to comprehend the 
reason of our trials. 

" 'Tis that I am not good, that is enough, 
I pry no farther; that is not the way. 
Here, oh my Potter, is thy making stuff ! 
Set thy wheel going; let it whirl and play. 
The chips in me, the stones, the straw, the sand, 
Cast them out with fine separating hand, 
And make a vessel of thy yielding clay." 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 275 

There is infinite comfort and rest of soul in the 
fact that we are God's workmanship and not our 
own ; for it gives us an unanswerable claim upon 
Him. 

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy 
mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of 
thine own hands." — Ps. 138: 8. 

" Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together 
round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I be- 
seech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt 
thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me 
out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast 
clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with 
bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, 
and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit." — Job 10: 8-12. 

The responsibility of creatorship is absolute. 
It is recognized all the world over in the responsi- 
bilities of parents for their children whom they 
have brought into existence. He who brings a 
being into existence is bound, we instinctively feel, 
to care for that being in the very best way possible. 

" Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the 
womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had 
seen me! I should have been as though I had not been; I 
should have been carried from the womb to the grave." — 
Job. 10: 18, 19. 

Our God Himself recognizes this responsibility 

of creatorship. 

" Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my 
servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, 
thou shalt not be forgotten of me." — Isa. 44: 21. 

" Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant 
of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, 
which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age 
I am He; and even to hoary hairs will I carry you: I have 
made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver 
you." — Isa. 4(5:3, 4. 

"Thus saiththe Lord that made thee, and formed thee 
from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, 



276 BIBLE READINGS. 



my servant; and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For 
I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon 
the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and 
my blessing upon thine offspring." — Isa. 44: 2, 3. 

" Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of 
God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, 
as unto a faithful Creator."— 1 Pet. 4: 19. 

He is called our "faithful Creator" and because 
He is faithful we are urged to commit the keeping 
of our souls to Him, for he Himself has declared 
"I have made, and I will bear; even I will cany, 
and will deliver you." 

We used to be frightened sometimes at the 
words "Remember thy Creator," as though they 
were the demand to something awful and alarm- 
ing. But now we see that we could not "remem- 
ber" a more blessed, or lovely, or restful fact. 
For our Creator is also our Saviour. 

"Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, arid my servant 
whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and 
understand that I am He: before me there was no God 
formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the 
Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, 
and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no 
strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith 
the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was I am He; 
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will 
work, and who shall let it?"— Isa. 43: 10-13. 

" But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting 
salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world 
without end. For thus saith the Lord that created the 
heavens; God Himself that formed the earth, and made it; 
He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed 
it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is none else. 
* * * * They have no knowledge that set up the wood 
of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel 
together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who 
hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 277 

is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there 
is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the 
ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." — 
Isa. 45: 17-22. 

God made, and He will remake. We were His 
workmanship in creation, and we are His work- 
manship in redemption. And He takes pleasure 
in His own work. 

" Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour 
and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy 
pleasure they are and were created."— Kev. 4: 11. 

"For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will 
beautify the meek with salvation." — Ps. 149: 4. 

" The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those 
that hope in His mercy." — Ps. 147: 11. 

It is a universal instinct to "take pleasure" in 

anything we create. How we look at it, and turn 

it round to view it on every side, and walk off to 

see it at a distance, and delight to show it to those 

who will appreciate it and share our pleasure. 

" And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold 
it was very good." — Gen. 1: 31. 

When we look on man as he is now, and when 
we hear the groans and cries of creation, we won- 
der that God could call His work "very good." 
But in redemption we behold the consummation of 
this work which in creation was only begun, 
and see God's ultimate purpose for man carried 
out, and the excellence of His work manifested. 

To illustrate, we have the declaration that man is 
"made to have dominion," but in Hebrews we are 
told that this is not yet seen; "but now we see not 
yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus." 



278 BIBLE READINGS. 



"Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. 
For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left 
nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet 
all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a 
little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned 
with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should 
taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are 
all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many 
sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation per- 
fect through sufferings. For both He that sanctifieth and 
they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is 
not ashamed to call them brethren." — Heb. 2 : 8-11. 

Jesus therefore is the Head of the new re- 
deemed spiritual race who are to fulfill God's 
purposes in creation, just as Adam was the head 
of the present imperfect earthly race. And as we 
have borne the image of the one, so are we to bear 
finally the image of the other. 

" And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a liv- 
ing soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. How- 
beit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is 
natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first 
man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from 
heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy : 
and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also 
Dear the image of the heavenly." — 1 Cor. 15: 45-49. 

This, then, as we have seen, is the ultimate 

purpose of God's workmanship, to "conform us to 

the image" of His Son, to "create us in Christ 

Jesus unto good works." And He alone is able to 

accomplish such a mighty transformation. Let 

us then take our own hands off of ourselves, and put 

ourselves unreservedly into the hands of the Lord, 

believing that, although we are not able, He is 

able: and that nothing is too hard for His 

almighty power. 



GOD'S WORKMANSHIP. 279 



" And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; 
that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may 
abound to every good work." — 2 Cor. 9: 8. 

" Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that 
worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ 
Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." — 
Eph. 3: 20, 21. 

Nothing can give more utter rest of soul than 
this. If we are "God's workmanship," and if He 
is making us, we cannot find any room for fear or 
anxiety. No matter how bad we may feel our- 
selves to be, no matter how grievously out of order 
our inward machinery may seem, if God has us in 
His workshop and if He is at work on us, how can 
we have a care as to the result ? 

Moreover if we are God's workmanship we may 
be very sure of His abiding presence with us; for 
a man who is making anything must necessarily 
be close to it all the time he is at work on it. 
"What can there be so close as making and made?" 
Therefore, while God's blessed processes are going 
on, we cannot have a doubt or a question as to His 
continual presence with us. 

God's part then is to work, and our part is to 
abandon ourselves utterly to His working, and to 
see to it that we do not hinder Him by disobedi- 
ence or doubt. He has undertaken to " create us 
in Christ Jesus unto good works," and we must 
yield ourselves up submissively to His blessed 
making processes, and must be content with the 



280 BIBLE READINGS. 

way of His working. We must yield, and trust, 

and obey without wavering, let come what may; 

and we must never be discouraged because we do 

not see ourselves perfect all at once. "The Maker 

hath not done" yet, but He will assuredly perfect 

that which concerns us at last. 

*"Tis, shall thy will be done for me? or mine, 
And I be made a thing not after thine, 
My own, and full of paltriest pretense? 
Shall I be born of God, or of mere man? 
Be made like Christ, or on some other plan? 
What though thy work in me transcends my sense, 
Too tine, too high, for me to understand, 
I trust entirely. On, Lord, with thy labor grand! 
I have not knowledge, wisdom, insight, thought, 
Nor understanding, fit to justify 
Thee in thy work, O Perfect. Thou hast brought 
Me up to this; and lo! what thou hast wrought 
I cannot call it good. But I can cry 
" O enemy, the Maker hath not done; 
One day thou shalt behold, and from the sight will 
run." 



BIBLE READINGS 



XVIII. 
SUBJECT— THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 

" Thus doth thy hospitable greatness lie 
Outside us like a boundless sea; 
We cannot lose ourselves where all is home, 
Nor drift away from thee." 

Foundation Text. — " Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? 
or whither shall 1 flee from thy presence? If I 
ascend up into heaven, thou art there : if I make 
my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take 
the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter- 
most parts of the sea ; even there shall thy hand 
lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. — 
Ps. 139: 7-10. 

The all pervading presence of God with us is 
the one absolutely certain and unchangeable thing 
amid all that is so doubtful and changeable in 
this world of ours. And yet very few people 
realize this. Even christians will cry out for the 
Lord to "come" to them, as though he had gone 
off on a journey or were in the remote realms of 
space. "How can I get into His presence?'* they 
ask with eager longing; when all the while they 
are already in His presence, and cannot by any 
possibility get out of it, not even if they " make 
their bed in hell," or if they "dwell in the 
uttermost parts of the earth." " Even there," 
(281) 



BIBLE READINGS. 



wherever it may be, shall His hand hold and lead 
them. 

" And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the 
garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid 
themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the 
trees of the garden."— Gen. 3: 8. 

At this early period of human history we find 
that the Lord was present with the man and wo- 
man whom He had made. And from this time 
onward all through the ages, He is seen to be in 
continual daily and familiar intercourse with His 
people. 

In Exodus He commanded them to make Him 
a "sanctuary that He might dwell among them." 

"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell 
among them." — Exod. 25: 8. 

" And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will 
be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their 
God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that 
I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God." — 
Exod. 29: 45, 46. 

We are told that He "walked" with them in 
the wilderness. 

" For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, 
to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; 
therefore shall thy camp be holy: that He see no unclean 
thing in thee, and turn away from thee."— -Deut. 23 :14. 

" And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord 
came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, 
Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me 
to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since 
the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of 
Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a 
tabernacle."— 2 Sam. 7: 4-6. 

When they took up their abode in the promised 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 



land, He commanded them to build an house for 

His name. 

" Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an 
house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. Bat the Lord 
said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart 
to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was 
in thine heart: notwithstanding, thou shalt not build the 
house; but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he 
shall build the house for my name. ***.** But 
will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, 
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how 
much less this house which I have built!" — 2 Chron, 6:7, 
8, 9, 18. 

When this house was finished, He took up His 
abode in it, that He might dwell in the midst of 
His people continually, as their ever present neigh- 
bor and friend. 

" And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of 
the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord. 
So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the 
cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the 
Lord. Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that He would 
dwell in thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house 
to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever." — 
1 Kings 8: 10-13. 

" And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said 
unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place 
to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that 
there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the 
land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, 
which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and 
pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; 
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and 
will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, andmiDe 
ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For 
now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name 
may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall 
be there perpetually."— 2 Chron- 7: 12-16. 

" Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire 
came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering 
and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 
And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, 



284 BIBLE READINGS. 

because the glory of the Lord had rilled the Lord's house." 
— 2Chron. 7:1, 2. 

Through all the back-sliding of the children of 
Israel, and through all their rebellions, He re- 
mained with them, and never ceased urging them 
to trust fully in Him, and to abandon the whole 
management of their lives to His care. 

" In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of 
His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He re- 
deemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the 
days of old." — Isa. 63:9. 

"And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast 
walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, 
and have made thee a name like the name of the great men 
that are in the earth." — 1 Chron. 17: 8. 

And finally, in Christ, God came down in bodily 
form, and walked and lived among us, a man like 
unto us, taking upon Himself our nature and shar- 
ing our common lot. His very name, " God with 
us," tells us the whole wonderful story, that God, 
our Creator is not a distant God dwelling in unap- 
proachable mystery, but is near at hand to every 
one of us, closer to us even than we are to our- 
selves, for "in Him we live and move and have 
our being." 

" That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel 
after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every 
one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; 
as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also 
His offspring."— Acts 17: 27, 28. 

In Christ, God linked Himself on to humanity 
openly and forever, and thus revealed to us the 
fact of His abiding presence with humanity 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 285 

always and everywhere; so that we must never 
think of a single human being as apart from Him. 

" And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and 
we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father) 
full of grace and truth." — John 1 : 14 

" Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh 
and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; 
that through death He might destroy him that had the power 
of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who through 
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For 
verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took 
on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in ail things it 
behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He 
might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things per- 
taining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the 
people."— Heb. 2:14-17. 

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus 
who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and 
took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the 
likeness of men : and being found in fashion as a man, He 
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross."— Phil. 2: 5-8. 

'* And without controversy great is the mystery of godli- 
ness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, 
seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the 
world, received up into glory." — 1 Tim. 3: 16. 

This then is a settled fact that cannot be ques- 
tioned, that God is with us always, nearer to us 
than we are to ourselves, no matter whether we are 
conscious of His presence or not. 

" Speak to Him, thou, for He hears, and spirit with spirit 
may meet; 
Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and 
feet." 

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me 
in my mother's womb." — Ps. 139: 13, 

Human language could not express a greater 

nearness than this ; and to doubt it, is to doubt the 

whole revelation of the Bible. 



286 BIBLE READINGS. 

" Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all genera- 
tions."— Ps. 90: 1. 

Since God has been our dwelling place in all 
generations, we surely must not begin to question 
or doubt it now. We will therefore consider next 
what this fact is to mean practically in our daily 
lives. 

It means I am sure far more of inward rest and 
peace than most people believe to be possible in 
this world of care and trouble. 

We all know the rest that comes, even in the 
midst of trouble, from the presence of a tried and 
trusted friend. We say of such a one sometimes, 
"She is a tower of strength to me;" and we ex- 
press in these words the same thought humanly 
applied, which contains a divine application when 
we say of the Lord that He is our "strong tower" 
to whom we may continually resort. 

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my 
rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my 
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of 
my salvation, and my high tower." — Ps. 18: 1, 2. 

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my 
heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher 
than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong 
tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for 
ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." — Ps. 61: 2-4. 

God's abiding presence with us means the sol- 
ution of every difficulty of our lives. The moth- 
er's presence with the child solves all the child's 
difficulties ; just her simple presence, without need 
of any especial promises or assurances. " Oh, 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 287 

there is my mother!" the little troubled child will 
exclaim, and at the sight of her coming, all the 
childish burdens will drop off and vanish. 

" And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will 
give thee rest." — Exod. 33: 14. 

How often in our childhood, when we have been 
afraid to go somewhere or to do something, have 
our mothers comforted us with saying, " I will be 
with thee;" and how often has God stilled all the 
fears of His people by the same simple announce- 
ment, " Certainly, I will be with thee." 

" And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go 
unto Pharaoh, and that I sho'ild bring forth the children of 
Israel out of Egypt? And He said, Certainly I will be with 
thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent 
thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, 
ye shall serve God upon this mountain." — Exod. 3: 11, 12. 

" There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all 
the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with 
thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. ***** 
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good 
courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the 
Lord thy God i3 with thee whithersoever thou goest." — 
Josh. 1:5,9. 

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power 
is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: 
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. 
Amen."— Matt. 28: 18-20. 

We cannot doubt that all these reiterated assur- 
ances of His presence with His people, under all 
their varying circumstances and conditions, must 
be meant to assure us, that, because He is thus 
with us, we may be also sure that all He has of 



288 BIBLE READINGS. 



wisdom or of power are at our disposal, and are 
engaged on our behalf. No good mother could be 
present with her child, and fail to use all her re- 
sources in that child's behalf; her mother-heart 
would make it impossible. And the heart of God 
towards us makes it far more impossible for Him 
to be present with us and fail to help us in every 
need. 

"Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for 
I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a 
child : for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and 
whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid 
of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the 
Lord."— Jer. 1:6-8. 

"I am with thee to deliver thee; this is the ex- 
press object of my being with thee, this is just 
what I am for; therefore be not afraid." Two 
little girls were once talking together over their 
dolls, when one began to tell the other of her 
fright in the dark. "Oh," replied the other 
eagerly, "Ido not see how you can be afraid when 
God is always taking care of us." " But," said 
the first, "I don't believe God does take care of 
such teensy tinesy girls as us." "Why, Mollie," 
exclaimed her little friend in surprise, "don't you 
know that that is just what God is for!" 

"But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord; and 
thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom 
thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou 
shalt not fall by the, sword, but thy life shall be for a prey 
unto thee, because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the 
Lord."— Jer. 39: 17, 18. 

It is a sad fact that in spite of these reiterated 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 



assertions of our Lord's, only a few of His people 
really believe in His abiding presence. They will 
all perhaps say they do, but when it comes down 
to their real belief, behind their words, it is man- 
ifest that it is nothing more than a pious senti- 
ment, and has no practical reality whatever to 
their souls. Else, why the fear and trouble of 
heart that render so many christian lives miser- 
able ? To the soul that believes in His presence 
as a literal fact, there can never be anything but 
joyous triumph or peaceful calm. That soul has 
God, and it knows that God is sufficient. His 
simple presence is a certain assurance of all pos- 
sible care and help. 

" Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and 
I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord." — Zech. 2:10. 

His presence is enough for our joy, let what 

else come or go. We have all of us known loved 

ones in our lives, whose mere presence brought 

with it always utter content. A prison would 

have been a palace with that one's presence in it; 

and without that one, nothing had any joy. 

" Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall 
fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and 
the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from 
the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will 
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 
The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like 
hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high 
places."— Hab. 3: 17-19. 

Madame Guyon expresses it as follows : 

"All scenes alike engaging prove 
To souls impressed with sacred love; 



290 BIBLE READINGS. 



Where'er they dwell, they dwell in thee, 
In Heaven, in earth, or on the sea. 
To me remains nor place, nor time, 
My country is in every clime; 
I can be calm and free from care, 
On any shore, since God is there. 
While place we seek or place we shun 
The soul finds happiness in none; 
But with my God to guide the way 
'Tis equal joy to go or stay. 
Could I be cast where thou wert not, 
That were indeed a dreadful lot; 
But regions none remote I call, 
Secure of finding God in all." 

" Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not save 
him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith 
the Lord."— Jer. 23:24. 

He who "fills heaven and earth" must surely 
be in the places He fills ; even though we may not 
see Him or feel Him there. 

" If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the 
night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not 
from thee; but the night shineth as the dav: the darkness 
and the light are both alike to thee."— Ps. 139: 11, 12. 

"The darkness hideth not from thee." We all 
know this must be a fact, in the very nature of 
things ; and yet when the soul finds itself in spirit- 
ual darkness, it seems impossible to believe that 
it can be true. The fever of delirium may hide 
the mother from the child, and her heart may be 
wrung by its piteous cries foi her coming, but the 
child's blindness does not drive away the mother 
nor make her ears deaf to its cries. And just so 
the delirium of our doubts or despair, or even of 
our sins, while it hides Him from us, so that we call 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 291 

out in anguish for His presence, can never hide 
us from Him, for the "darkness and the light are 
both alike to Him." 

If our faith will but grasp this fact as a reality, 
our " seasons of darkness" will not trouble us, for 
we shall be sure all the while, although we can 
not see Him nor feel Him, that He is still there 
close at hand for our need, a "very present" help 
in all our trouble. 

" God is our refuge an d strength, a very present help in 
trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be 
removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst 
of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." 
— Ps.46:l-3. 

"Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast 
holden me by my right hand. Thou shall guide me with thy 
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I 
in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire 
besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the 
strength of my heart, and my portion forever." — Ps. 73:23-26. 

" Flesh and heart may fail," but the ever pres- 
ent God still holds us by our right hand, even 
though we may not realize it, and is our all suffi- 
cient portion for ever. 

" Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity cap- 
tive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious 
also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed 
be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the 
God of our salvation."— Ps. 68: 18. 19. 

" From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my 
heart is overwhelmed : lead me to the rock that is higher 
than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong 
tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for 
ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." — Ps. 61: 2-4. 

Neither can any backsliding take us out of His 



292 BIBLE READINGS. 

presence. No matter how far away our souls may 
seem to wander, though it should be to the "utter- 
most parts of the sea," yet "even there" we shall 
always find Him with us, prepared to "load us 
with benefits " the moment we are ready to receive 
them. 

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His 
mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say 
so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 
and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from 
the west, from the north, and from the south. They wan- 
dered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city 
to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He 
delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them 
forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habi- 
tation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for His good- 
ness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men." — 
Ps. 107: 1-8. 

I am sure we all would praise Him instinctively 
and without effort for His wonderful works, if we 
would only believe in their reality. And I want 
us therefore to see Him as this ever present God, 
always close at hand to hear and to help, let us 
have wandered where we may. 

But some may ask whether there is not such a 
thing as " coming into" His presence and " leav- 
ing" it, being nearer or further off from Him. 
To this I answer that these are only figures of 
speech which express spiritual states on our part, 
and not any divine facts on His part. I may be 
seated close to a person in the outward, and yet 
be in spirit separated from that person thousands 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 293 

of miles, as to any real nearness. And when we 
speak of nearness or distance as regards God, it is 
only as to our spirits, not as to the facts. He is 
always near us, but we are not always near Him. 
In fact He is never far enough off even to be 
spoken of as near. He " possesses our reins," 
and if we only knew the facts of the case, it would 
be as impossible for us to think of ourselves apart 
from Him, as to think of ourselves apart from 
ourselves. 

I feel sure our modes of speech in regard to 
this subject have led us into great darkness. We 
pray, "0 Lord, do thou come!" When we ought 
to pray, "0 Lord, make us come!" The "coming" 
is altogether in our spirits, not in His presence. 

" As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the 
Lord is round about His people from henceforth even for 
ever."— Ps. 125: 2. 

How are the mountains round about Jerusalem ? 
Are they there to day, and gone to-morrow? 
Are they there in sunshine, but do they forsake 
Jerusalem when it storms? Are they there 
when all eyes see them, but gone when night 
makes them invisible? 

You exclaim, " What foolish questions! " But 
if the "as" and "so" in this verse are true, and if 
the Lord really is round about His people as the 
mountains are round about Jerusalem, the things 
many Christians think and say are far more 



294 BIBLE READINGS. 

foolish. Did none of yon ever think in time of 
tronble and darkness that the Lord had forsaken 
you? 

Suppose the dwellers in Jerusalem had acted 
toward their mountains as some of you act 
toward your God, what would you have thought 
of them? Suppose they had said on sunshiny 
days, " Now we believe the mountains are really 
round about us, because we can see them." And 
then on stormy days had said, "Alas ! our 
mountains must have forsaken us, for we cannot 
see them any longer! 

It is an unchangeable fact that the mountains 
are round about Jerusalem, whether any one sees 
them or not; and it is equally an unchangeable 
fact that God is always round about us "from 
henceforth even for ever," whether we see and 
feel Him or not. 

" The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that 
fear Him, and delivereth them." — Ps. 34: 7. 

" God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God 
shall help her, and that right early." — Ps. 46: 5. 

Since, therefore, God encampeth round about 
us, and is in our midst, since in short, He is our 
continual environment, we must not allow our- 
selves to be moved, for it would bring dishonor 
on his power or willingness to save. Nothing can 
harm the child in the mother's presence, unless 
the mother is first disabled. And since our God 
cannot be disabled, nothing can hurt or destroy 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 295 

us in His presence. In fact nothing can with- 
stand the mighty, all conquering power of His 
presence. Mountains, and oceans, and rocks, and 
deserts, in the spiritual realms of life, melt and 
vanish when He appears. 

" The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord of 
the whole earth." — Ps. 97: 5. 

" The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence 
of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, 
the God of Israel."— Ps. 68: 8. 

" Jremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the 
presence of the God of Jacob; which turned the rock into a 
standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters." — 
Ps. 114:7,8. 

Neither men nor devils can harm the soul that 
abides in His presence. 

" Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be 
content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly 
say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man 
shall do unto me."— Heb. 13: 5, 6. 

" Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up 
for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them 
that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide 
them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: 
thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of 
tongues."— Ps. 31: 19, 20. 

The "secret of His presence" is a secret open to 
all, but not opened to every one. Nature was an 
open secret before all men in Newton's day, but it 
was opened to Newton only. The soul that has 
discovered this secret of God's presence has en- 
tered into a "pavilion" where nothing can ever 
disturb its rest, for nothing disturbing can find 
the " hidden" soul. 



296 BIBLE READINGS. 

"Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine 
hand upon me." — Ps. 139: 5. 

Have you ever thought of what it means to be 
"beset" by God? We understand what it is to 
be so "beset" sometimes by unwelcome and dis- 
agreeable people as not to be able to get rid of 
them, let us rebuff them as we may. If God 
" besets " us then, it must mean that He is so 
close to us in love and care, that no indifference 
nor even rebuffs on our part can force Him to 
leave us. 

Moreover He besets us "behind," that is He 
goes after us to set straight the things we have 
made crooked, and to undo the mistakes and fail- 
ures that lie behind us. Mothers do this for their 
children all their lives long, beginning with pick- 
ing up the scattered toys in the nursery, and going 
"behind" them as they grow older to undo and 
atone for all their mistakes. When a troubled, 
frightened child tells its mother of its wrong 
doings, and asks her sympathy and help, how 
ready is the mother's ear to listen and her heart 
to devise ways of help. Suppose the trouble has 
been all the child's fault, none the less is the 
mother willing and eager to help it. And none 
the less is God willing and eager to help us, even 
though our troubles come from our own fault. 

If therefore we have in our past any mistake 
or sin which is a present source of distress to us, 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 297 

let us commit it with confidence to the God who is 
4 'behind" us, sure that He will make all things, 
even these very failures, to "work together for 
good" for ourselves and others, if we will but trust 
Him. 

" And we know that all things work together for good to 
them that love God, to them who are the called according to 
His purpose." — Bom. 8: 28. 

" And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath 
eaten, the canker-worm and the caterpillar, and the palmer- 
worm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall 
eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the 
Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and 
my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that 
I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your 
God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. ' 
—Joel 2: 25-27. 

Not only peace however, but holiness also, will 

be the result of God's recognized presence. 

" And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? 
for ye are the temple of the living God: as God hath said, I 
will dwell in them, and walk in them: and I will be their 
God, and they shall be my people." — 2 Cor. 6 : 16. 

" Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the 
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man dafile the temple 
of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, 
which temple ye are." — 1 Cor. 3: 16, 17. 

" Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine 
house, O Lord, for ever." — Ps. 93: 5. 

The presence of God will drive out sin, as sun- 
shine drives out darkness, if the heart will but 
open itself to His shining. 

" This then is the message which we have heard of Him, 
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no 
darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, 
and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if 
we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellow- 
ship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His 
Son cleanseth us from all sin." — 1 John 1: 5-7. 



298 BIBLE READINGS. 

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye 
ure not your own? For ye are bought with a price: there- 
fore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are 
God's."— 1 Cor. 6: 19, 20. 

To be the "temple of God" means to be His 
dwelling place, or, as we have it expressed in 
Eph. 2: 22, the "habitation of God." It is almost 
impossible for the heart of man to conceive of 
anything so amazing, but if we believe the Bible 
at all, we must believe that it is most blessedly- 
true that our hearts are the home of our God, and 
that He does continually seek to find a dwelling 
place there. 

" For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for 
His habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; 
for I have desired it."— Ps. 132: 13, 14. 

" Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear 
my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will 
sup with him, and he with me." — Bev. 3:20. 

Like the sunlight which fills the air all around 
us, and enters wherever there is an opening, so 
does the presence of God fill the whole universe 
around us, and enters every heart that opens to 
receive Him. 

" Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he 
will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we 
will come unto him, and make our abode with him." — 
John 14; 23. 

" Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us 
cleanse ourselves from all fllthiness of the flesh and spirit, 
perfecting holiness in the fear of God." — 1 Cor. 7: 1. 

The Lord's dwelling place must be clean from 
all "filthiness of the flesh and spirit," in the very 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 299 



nature of things; and every soul that recognizes 
the blessed fact of His abiding presence will find 
itself stirred up to get rid of all that is contrary 
to His will. » 

'Sing, daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and 
rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The 
Lord hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out 
thine enemy: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the 
midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that 
day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; and to 
Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in 
the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice 
over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy 
over thee with singing." — Zeph. 3: 14-17. 

How then shall we come into personal and prac- 
tical recognition of this blessed fact that "the 
Lord encampeth round about us and is in our 
midst?" 

A few extracts from a quaint little book called 
"The Practice of the Presence of God," written 
by an old monk of the 17th century, will teach us 
the road to this glorious consummation. 

"We must establish ourselves in a sense of 
God's presence by a continual secret conversation 
with Him, in freedom and simplicity. We must 
consider God as always with us, and as abiding in 
us; and must keep ourselves in His presence by a 
silent and secret conversation with Him, thinking 
of Him the oftenest we can. A little lifting up 
of the heart suffices; a little remembrance of 
Him, a single act of inward worship, even in the 
midst of business; these are the methods by which 



300 BIBLE READINGS. 

the heart comes to realize His abiding pres- 
ence." 

"Let us think of Him, then, the most we can ; let 
us accustom ourselves by degrees to this small but 
holy exercise. Nobody perceives it; and nothing 
is easier than to repeat often in the day these little 
internal adorations. This exercise consists in 
short ejaculations offered to God, as for instance, 
"O Lord, here I am, all devoted to thee," or 
"Lord, I thank thee that thou art present with 
me;" or, "Lord, make me what thou wouldst have 
me to be ;" or any other form of words that love 
may suggest. We must do this without effort or 
constraint, recalling our minds to God mildly and 
with tranquillity, as often as we find we are 
wandering from Him." 

"He requires no great matters of us: a little 
remembrance of Him from time to time, a little 
adoration : sometimes to pray for His grace, some- 
times to offer Him your sufferings, and sometimes 
to return Him thanks for the favors He has given 
you and still gives you; reminding yourself of 
Him the oftenest you can. Lift up your heart to 
Him whenever you are reminded of Him, even at 
your meals, and when you are in company. You 
need not cry very loud, for He can hear the most 
secret whisper in your soul." 

" Use yourself by degrees to this little silent 
exercise, and you will at last form such a habit of 



THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 301 

recognizing His abiding presence, that you will 
never lose the consciousness of it." 

All this means simply this, that we "acknowl- 
edge God" in all our ways by saying over each 
moment of our life, "The Lord is here;" and by 
doing whatsoever we do to His glory. 

" Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, 
do all to the glory of God."— 1 Gor. 10: 31. 

" How have I erred! God is my home 
And God Himself is here; 
Why have I looked so far for Him 
Who is nowhere but near? 

For God is never so far off 

As even to be near; 
He is within ; our spirit is 

The home He holds most dear. 

To think of Him as by our side, 

Is almost as untrue, 
As to remove His throne beyond 

Those starry skies of blue. 

So, all the while I thought myself 

Homeles, forlorn, and weary, 
Missing my joy, I walked the earth 

Myself God's sanctuary." 



BIBLE RESDINGS 



XIX. 

SUB JECT— THE " I " RELIGION, CONTRASTED 

WITH THE " NOT I " RELIGION, 

Foundation Text. — "J am crucified with Christ : never- 
theless I live; yet not I, hut Christ liveth in me: 
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live 
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and 
gave Himself for me." — Gal. 2: 20. 

" I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." In 
all living there is one principal center around 
which the life revolves , and for the sake of which 
it acts. Generally this center is the "I" or self. 
Everything is calculated with reference to its in- 
fluence on self ; what gain or what improvement to 
one's personal standing or prospects will come from 
certain courses of action? How will it affect me? 
These are the continual under-lying questions. 
The Prodigal Son is an illustration of this. 

" And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired 
servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and 
I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and 
will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and 
before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son : 
make me as one of thy hired servants." — Luke 15: 17-19. 

The son had no thought of the father's love or 
sorrow or longing; his only care was to get com- 
fort and food for himself; and his expectations 
(302) 



THE "I" RELIGION. 303 

could rise no higher than to be a servant in his 
father's household, where he would find "bread 
enough and to spare." 

This is always the first selfish way of the human 
heart ; we do not consider how our Heavenly Father 
loves us, and longs for us, and grieves over our 
wandering, and will rejoice at our return; but we 
ask what ive shall get by returning, what personal 
gain will accrue to us, how much better off we 
shall be for giving in our allegiance to Christ. 
It is the "I" religion only, that we can compre- 
hend at first. 

" And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was 
yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, 
and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son 
said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in 
thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But 
the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and 
put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his 
feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us 
eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive 
again ; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be 
merry."— Luke 15: 20-24. 

In the father's embrace the " I " religion is 
swept away, and all thoughts of being a "hired 
servant, with bread enough and to spare," vanish 
before the "best robe," and the "fatted calf," and 
the merry feast of welcome over "the son who was 
lost and is found." 

And sooner or later the child of God, if his 
spiritual life develops as it ought, comes to this 
place of insight, where thoughts of self vanish in 
the wondrous revelation of the Father's heart. 



304 BIBLE READINGS. 

But the "I" religion is not lost all at once; 
nor is it confined only to the unenlightened sinner. 

"Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and 
drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And 
he called one of the servants, and asked what these things 
meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and 
thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath re- 
ceived him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would 
not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. 
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years 
do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy com- 
mandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might 
make merry with my friends : but as soon as this thy son, 
was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou 
hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said auto him, Son, 
thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was 
meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy 
brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is 
found."— Luke 15: 25-32. 

The "elder brother," who lived at home with 
the father, and shared all his possessions, thought 
only of himself at this supreme moment of the 
father's joy, and had no sympathy with it. He 
felt himself to be badly used, and declared that his 
rights had not been recognized, nor his true 
merits appreciated. "Lo, these many years do I 
serve thee, and yet thou never did such things for 
me." Self was uppermost still in the heart of this 
son, who yet had been in one sense a good son, 
faithful in his father's service. But it was the 
" I " religion still. He could not forget himself. 

There are some of God's children even now, 
who, like this "elder brother," in every emergency 
think of themselves first of all, and consider that 
their own rights and their own deserts ought 



THE "I" RELIGION. 305 

always to have the first claim, both inwardly and 
outwardly. 

" And He said unto them, What would ye that I should do 
for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may 
sit, one on thy right hand the other on thy left hand, in thy 
glory. * * * * And when the ten heard it, they began 
to be much displeased with James and John. But Jesus 
called them to Him, and saith unto them, ye know that they 
which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lord- 
ship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon 
them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will 
be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever 
of you will be the chiefest, shall be the the servant of all. 
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but 
to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." — Mark 
10:36-45. 

James and John were thinking of themselves. 
They wanted the highest places, and to be chief 
among their brethren, and they sought it by the 
way of the "I" religion. "Grant unto us that 
we may sit, one on thy right hand and the other 
on thy left hand in thy glory.". Place, power, 
position, honor, glory, these are the considerations 
that move the soul in whom the "I" religion 
reigns. And such souls cannot even see that the 
only true honor and glory are to be found in the 
"not I" religion, where we become the "chiefest" 
by being the "servant of all." 

"Let no man seek his own, but every man another's 
wealth."— 1 Cor. 10:24. 

" Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory; but in 
lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than them- 
selves. Look not every man on his own things, but every 
man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, 
which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of 
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made 

20 



306 BIBLE HEADINGS. 

Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a 
servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being 
found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became 
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." — Phil. 2: 
3-8. 

Paul knew both of these religions. While he 

was a Pharisee, he had been full of the "I" 

religion, and had made a great show in it. Bat 

when his eyes were opened to see the beauty of 

the "not I" religion, he counted all the other but 

dung in comparison with it. 

" Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If 
any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust 
in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock 
of Israel, of the tribe of Ben jamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; 
as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecu- 
ting the church: touching the righteousness which is in the 
law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I 
counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all 
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus my Xiord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all 
things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, 
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of 
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." — 
Phil. 3:4-9. 

All that Paul had to say for himself, all that 
fine system of self- righteousness which he had up- 
reared with so much pains, all that "confidence in 
the flesh," that earnest "zeal," that "blameless 
righteousness" of which he had been so justly 
proud, all in short of his "I" religion, vanished 
into thin air at the sight of Christ, and the excel- 
lency that was in Him. Paul's big "I," which 
before had filled his whole horizon, wilted down 
into nothing before the revelation of God in the 



THE "I" RELIGION. 307 

face of Jesus Christ. "Nevertheless I live," he 
cried, "yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." He 
had learned the lesson of the "not I" religion. 

"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now 
mine eye seeth thee : wherefore I abhor myself, and repent 
in dust and ashes." — Job. 42: 5, 6. 

The book of Job is the story of the "I" religion, 
and the process of its change into the "not I" re- 
ligion. Job was a good man at first, but not at 
first a spiritual man. 

" There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; 
and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared 
God, and eschewed evil. * * * * And the Lord said 
unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there 
is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, 
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" — Job. 1: 1, 8. 

Even God pronounced him to be a "perfect and 
an upright man." And yet Job was full of him- 
self, his own goodness, his own honor, his own 
benevolence, his own reputation. Bead for in- 
stance the 29th chapter and count the personal 
pronouns used there, and you will see that they 
are used fifty- one times. It is all I, me, my, from 
beginning to end; while God is referred to only 
three times. 

And is not this chapter a simple transcript of 
many chapters in the lives of some of God's most 
faithful servants, whose greatest delight is to 
dwell upon their own good deeds, or their own 
valuable possessions, and to recount them to 



BIBLE READINGS. 



others? Have we any such chapters in the un- 
written books of our autobiographies, dear readers ? 
It may help us if we will mark a line with ink un- 
derneath each "I," "me" and "my" of this chap- 
ter, in Job, as a reminder of our similar chapters. 

Contrast with these utterances of Job the words 
of David in the Psalms. Notice for instance the 
118th Psalm. 

Here the Lord is mentioned, with the pronouns 
He, His, Him and Thee and Thou, forty-six times : 
and all that is said concerning I, me and my, is 
simply set to forth my need and my distress, and 
to show how the Lord helped and delivered. In 
the twenty-nine verses of this Psalm, all but four 
tell of something good or great that the Lord 
does. 

" Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord; for He 
is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. Who can utter 
the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all His 
praise?"— Ps. 105: 1, 2. 

"I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy 
name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I 
will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, 
and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. 
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall 
declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour 
of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall 
speak of the might of thy terrible acts : and I will declare thy 
greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy 
great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness." — 
Ps. 145: 1-7. 

People are far more ready to "abundantly utter" 
the memory of their own great goodness than of 
God's. The book of Job is full of what I am. 
The book of Psalms is full of what God is. 



THE "I" RELIGION. 309 

Job expressed the feelings of a man who had 
great possessions. The Psalms express the feel- 
ings of a man who possessed nothing but the liv- 
ing God. 

Contrast Job 1: 3 with Ps. 73: 25, 26. 

" His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three 
thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five 
hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this 
man was the greatest of all the men of the east." — Job. 1: 3. 

" Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon 
earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart 
faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion 
for ever."— Ps. 73: 25, 26. 

" The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my 
cup : thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me 
in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." — Ps. 16: 5,6. 

To have the Lord for our portion is a "heritage" 
far more "goodly" than any of the great posses- 
sions of earth, and confers upon the soul infinitely 
greater honor. 

The "I" religion justifies itself. The "not I" 
religion justifies God. Contrast Job. 32 : 1, 2 with 
Psalm 96. 

" So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was 
righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of 
Ehhu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Bam: 
against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified him- 
self rather than God."— Job. 32: 1, 2. 

" O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all 
the earth. _ Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; shew forth 
His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among 
the heathen, His wonders among all people. For the Lord 
is great and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above 
all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the 
Lord made the heaveus. Honour and majesty are before 
Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto 
the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord 



310 BIBLE READINGS. 

glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto 
His name: bring an offering, and come into His courts." — 
Ps. 96: 1-8. 

Job was full of himself. The writer of the 
Psalms was full of the Lord. "Of thee, oh Lord, 
will I sing," is the language of the "not I" re- 
ligion. "Of thee, oh myself, will I sing," is the 
language of the "I" religion. 

Job had to suffer the loss of all things, and out 
of this loss have a revelation of God, before he 
could get rid of the "I" religion. 

" Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that 
contendeth with the almighty instruct Him? he that reprov- 
eth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, 
and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I 
will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken ; 
but I will not answer: yea, twice ; but I will proceed no 
further. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirl- 
wind, and said." — Job. 40: 1-6. 

" Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou 
canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden 
from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowl- 
edge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things 
too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech 
thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare 
thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the 
ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, 
and repent in dust and ashes." — Job. 42 : 1-6. 

God took away all his possessions, everything 
in which he delighted, or upon which he could 
rest; and then "out of the whirlwind" He an- 
swered Job with a revelation of Himself. 

And just so is it sometimes now in the lives of 
God's children who have great possessions, whether 
inward or outward. Only "out of the whirlwind" 



THE "F RELIGION. 811 

that has destroyed their possessions, can they 
have a revelation of God. 

" The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I 
kept from my youth up : what lack I yet? Jesus said unto 
him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and 
give to the poor, and thou shsilt have treasure in heaven : and 
come and follow me. But when the young man heard that 
saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 
Then Jesus said unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, 
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel 
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to 
enter into the kingdom of God." — Matt. 19: 20-24 

To enter into the "kingdom of heaven," all 
dependence 'upon earthly riches, whether of money, 
or of reputation, or of good deeds, must be given 
up. The "poor in spirit" alone can enter here. 
"To gain the whole world," in any sense however 
subtle, is to lose one's soul in the same subtle 
sense. 

" And when He had called the people unto Him with His 
disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after 
me, let him deny himself, and take up Lis cross, and follow me. 
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever 
shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall 
save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the 
whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man 
give in exchange for his soul?"— Mark 8: 34-37. 

There are some of God's own children who 
make great outward gains in things that minister 
to self, even in their religious lives ; who have 
wonderful religious experiences, and do great re- 
ligious works, and receive honor from all men; 
but who yet, in this gaining, have so degraded 
their finest impulses, and deadened their spiritual 



312 BIBLE READINGS. 

life, as to bury their souls under a mountain of 
selfhood, until they have to all intents and pur- 
poses "lost their life." 

" Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come 
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and 
follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: 
and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For 
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for 
his soul?"— Matt. 16: 24-26. 

The "not I" religion is the religion that denies 
self, that says to this "I," "I am a stranger to you 
and do not wish to have anything to do with you." 
It denies self, not in the sense of making self 
miserable, of setting self on a pinnacle and stick- 
ing prongs into it to hurt it; but in the sense of 
utterly refusing to recognize its claims or even 
its existence, and of enthroning the Christ-life in 
its stead always and everywhere. 

"And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow 
me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it : but whoso- 
ever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 
For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, 
and lose himself, or be cast away?" — Luke 9: 23-25. 

To "take up the cross" does not mean to make 
this "I" miserable, as is too often thought. It 
means to put this "I" to death, to crucify it; not 
to make it suffer but to kill it outright. It means 
to lose our own self-life truly and literally, and to 
have the Divine life, the life hid with Christ in 
God, to reign in its stead. 



THE "I" RELIGION. 313 

" Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: 
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory 
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 
* * * * Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead 
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ 
our Lord."— Kom. 6: 4, 11. 

The only way out of the "I" religion into the 
"not I" religion is by the death of self. We must 
die that we may live. 

We must cease to be alive to self, and must 
consent to be alive only to God. And this means 
practically that we literally are not to care how 
self is treated, nor what self gains, nor what be- 
comes of self, but only how God is treated, and 
what brings gain and joy to Him. The trouble 
with all our religion is its tendency to selfishness. 
Its first and foremost thought is always for self; 
and this cannot but taint the whole character. If 
it is right to think of self first in the most sacred 
of all things, it cannot be wrong to think of self 
first in all minor things. We are continually 
seeking to save ourselves and to please ourselves. 

"And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their 
heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroy est the temple, and 
buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from 
the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said 
among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; Him- 
self He cannot save."— Mark 15: 29-31. 

" We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of 
the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us 
please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even 
Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The re- 
proaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." — 
Kom. 15: 1-3. 

Christ "saved others, but Himself He could not, 



314 BIBLE READINGS. 



save." Christ "pleased not Himself." And if 
we are living the Christ -life we shall know that 
we also are "not to please ourselves," nor to save 
ourselves, but are to save and to please others. 

" Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of 
Christ."— Gal. 6: 2. 

Alas ! how far we are from this Christ-like bur- 
den bearing. Our own burdens fill the whole 
horizon for us, and we can scarcely see, much less 
carry, the burdens of others . Indeed we often 
feel that, if every one had their rights, our bur- 
dens and our needs would be recognized by all 
around us as being of paramount importance to 
all other things. 

We will move Heaven and earth in our efforts 
to save ourselves, and we will scarcely lift a finger 
to try to save or to please others. And this self- 
ishness of our "I" religion taints our views of 
God. We are so selfish ourselves, that we are 
unable to give one single generous or unselfish 
attribute to Him, and we think He must be all 
the time looking out for His rights and His glory, 
just as we are for ours. We are actually afraid to 
trust Him to save us, because we know our own 
selfish unwillingness to save others. We think 
He is "altogether such a one" as we are. This 
is the "I" religion. 

" Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth 
deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother: thou 
slanderest thine own mother's son. These things hast thou 



TBF "I" RELIGION. 315 

done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was alto- 
gether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and 
set them in order before thine eyes." — Ps. 50: 19-21. 

Even christians "sit and speak," not of God's 
great goodness, but of their brother's great fail- 
ures, and try to exalt themselves at their brother's 
expense. And naturally they transfer the same 
selfish characteristics to God, and think He also is 
entirely absorbed in the advancement of His own 
glory, no matter at whose expense it may have to 
be. 

But the "not I" religion is just the opposite. 
It has handed self over bodily to death, and has 
ceased to be interested in it. It has forgotten self 
in its absorption in God. It expects nothing from 
self, but everything from God; and it demands 
nothing for self, but seeks to lavish all on the 
Lord. 

" And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would 
eat with him. And He went into the Pharisee's house, and' 
sat down to meat. And behold, a woman in the city, which 
was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the 
Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and 
stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash 
His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her 
head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the oint- 
ment."— Luke 7: 36-38. 

"And He turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest 
thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gayest 
me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with 
tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou 
gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I camo in 
hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst 
not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with 
ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are 
many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little 



316 BIBLE READINGS. 

is forgiven, the same loveth little. And He said unto her, 
Thy sins are forgiven." — Luke 7: 4A-4&. 

The "not I" religion pours out its most prec- 
ious gifts as a love offering upon its Lord, and 
asks for no return ; but it receives most abundant 
and unexpected measure. This poor woman 
"which was a sinner" never dreamed that she de- 
served anything, but she found herself over- 
whelmed with blessing. 

" And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in 
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Phari- 
see, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and 
prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not 
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as 
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all 
that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would 
not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 
his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell 
you, this man went down to his home justified rather than 
the other: for every one that exalt eth himself shall be abased; 
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." — Luke 18: 
9-14. 

This Pharisee had the "I" religion. "I thank 
thee that I am not as other men are." The Pub- 
lican had nothing to say for himself, but that he 
was a needy sinner. 

Some of the most religious people of the day 
are the greatest Pharisees ; they have the most of 
the "I" religion. "I am altogether right," they 
say, "and you, if you differ from me, are altogether 
wrong. I ought to be put foremost, for I know 
the best. I am the one to have place and author- 
ity, for I am the best fitted to assume it. My 



THE "I" RELIGION. 317 

rights must be considered, for they are the most 
important." The "I" religion compels every- 
thing to come up to its own standard. The "not 
I" religion covers all things with a mantle of 
Christ-like love ; it "suffers long and is kind;" it 
"envieth not ;" "it vaunteth not itself, and is not 
puffed up;" it "seeketh not its own, is not easily 
provoked, thinketh no evil;" "it beareth all 
things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." 
Such a one walks as Christ walked. 

" He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to 
walk, even as He walked." — 1 John 2:6. 

" For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward 
God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what 
glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall 
take it patiently? but if , when ye do well, and suffer for it, 
ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even 
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, 
leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: who 
did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when 
He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He 
threatened not: but committed Himself to Him that judgeth 
righteously."— 1 Pet. 2: 19-23. 

The "not I religion bears injustice, and mis- 
understanding, and lack of appreciation, and re- 
vilings, and snubbings, and being evil spoken 
against, and having its name cast out as evil, with 
patience, and even often with joy. 

"And He lifted up His eyes on his disciples, and said, 
Blessed be ye poor : for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed 
are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are 
ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when 
men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from 
their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your 
name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that 
day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in 



318 BIBLE READINGS. 



heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the 
prophets. But woe unto you that are rich: for ye have re- 
ceived your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye 
sball hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall 
mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak 
well of you ! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do 
good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, 
and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto 
him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the 
other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to 
take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; 
and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 
And as ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also to 
them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what 
thank have ye! for sinners also love those that love them. 
And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank 
have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend 
to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for 
sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But 
love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for noth- 
ing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be 
the children of the Highest: for He is kind uuto the unthank- 
ful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father 
also is merciful." — Luke 6: 20-36. 

If the Christ-life is the reigning life in us, we 
shall do the works of Christ. If the self -life is 
the reigning life, we will do the works of self. 

Which sort of works is it that we do? 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which 
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 
made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the 
law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God 
sending his o vvn Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for 
sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of 
of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the 
flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh 
do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the 
Spirit, the things of the Spirit." — Bom. 8: 1-5. 

The "I" religion is the religion of the flesh. 
The "not I" religion is the religion of the Spirit. 



THE "I" RELIGION. 319 

It is very possible to "live after the flesh," 
even in a religions life. If we are seeking for 
the highest places or the greatest honor in onr 
church work, or our benevolent societies, if we 
are standing up for our rights, if we are on the 
watch for affronts, and are keen to resent them, if 
we consider everything in its relation to ourselves, 
if we look out for our own interests first, if we 
provoke one another and envy one another; then, 
no matter how great may be our reputation for 
piety, we have never got beyond the "I" religion, 
and are in very truth "living after the flesh." 

" For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour 
one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of an- 
other. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not 
fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the 
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are con- 
trary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things 
that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not 
under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, 
which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivi- 
ousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, 
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunken- 
ness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, 
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such 
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit 
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, 
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is 
no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh 
with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us 
also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory 
provoking one another, envying one another." — Gal. 5: 
14-26. 

To sum up the whole matter then, the choice is 
continually before us as to which form of religion 



320 BIBLE READINGS. 

ours shall be. Shall it be I who live, or not I ? 
Shall it be self or Christ? 

This question confronts us at every moment of 
our living, and must be answered continually, 
either consciously or unconsciously. In each 
event that meets us, self clamors for recognition, 
and at each clamor it may be crucified and its 
claims ignored. Always and everywhere we may 
put off the old man of the "I" religion, and may 
put on the new man of the "not I" religion. 

" That ye put off concerning the former conversation the 
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind ; and that ye put 
on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness 
and true holiness."— Eph. 4: 22-24. 

In all Christian experience there is a progress 
from the "I" religion to the "not I" religion. At 
first with all of us it is I and not Christ at all ; 
then it becomes I and Christ; then it becomes 
Christ first and only a little of I. But has it 
come yet with any of us, as it had to Paul when 
he wrote the verse which is the foundation of our 
lesson, to be Christ only and not I at all ? 



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